A Beautiful Lie
by Starkittie
Summary: They kept their relationship secret from everyone, even her family, so that they could be together.  When something tests their happiness, will their love prevail or will it be revealed as just a beautiful lie?  -Featuring all of The Legacy-  OC
1. Chapter 1

**So here we are once again with a new story for you. Again, I've already finished the story and if you guys like it enough, I'll post a new chapter every few days. I hope you guys like this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. And just and FYI, I took liberty with the time line and how quickly or slowly things happened. Well, lets get right into it. Enjoy! =^.^=**

I moaned his name as I rocked back on his hips. I pressed my hands flat against his hard sweat streaked abs, using them as leverage to keep my rhythm. He groaned as he slid his hot hands up my thighs to my hips. His fingertips dug into my skin, helping me keep the torrid pace. He groaned again.

"Mmm…God, princess. You feel so damn good." I smiled, stroking my hands up his chest and off his shoulders. I planted my hands by his head. I leaned in, pressing my naked chest against his. I kissed him deeply.

"So do you, sugar." He brushed his fingertips up my spine, making goose bumps pop out all over my skin, despite the heat our joined bodies were giving off. He snaked an arm around my back and buried a hand in my hair, holding me tight against his body and pulling me back in to kiss me. Really, it was just to distract me. He tucked me closer and rolled us over. I pulled back. He smirked down at me.

"You sneaky shit." He dropped his head, hovering just a breath above my lips. "I wasn't finished." I told him.

"That's just too bad, princess." He moved away from my mouth to press kisses across my cheek to my ear. "It's my turn." I moaned his name again, dropping my head back, exposing the smooth column of my throat to his scalding kisses, as he started to rock himself in and out of my body. I fisted my hand in his hair and wrapped an arm around him to lay a hand flat on his back, loving the feel of his muscles flowing under it as his thrusts got harder and faster.

"Oh…yes…oh God!" I cried out his name as my release hit me just seconds before his hit him. He groaned as he collapsed on me. We lay there breathless for a moment before I smiled at him. He grinned back when I leaned in to kiss him.

"I love you Em." He whispered softly to me, earning him another kiss.

"I love you too."

Sometime later, around dawn, I kissed him goodbye and snuck out of his room and headed back to mine. And no, this is not one of those walks of shame. I'm not sneaking because he's married, I'm not either for that matter. He and I are in a legitimate relationship. Hell, we've been together for almost two and a half years now. We even live together. It's just that…we're not allowed to be together.

You see, he's a Superstar for the WWE and me, I'm just a lowly personal assistant. It's written into everyone's contract that 'Talent' is NOT to have a personal relationship with the 'Back Office'. And wouldn't you know it. Anyone that isn't 'Talent' (Superstars, Divas, announcers, managers and refs) is considered 'Back Office' and that's exactly where I fall.

We keep our relationship private because neither of us wants me to loose my job. We both love seeing each other everyday, even though we don't get to be alone as often as we'd like to. Even my family didn't know that we were together. Do you know how hard it is to keep something like that from your family?

Now, if I was a Diva, like my sister Fallon, our relationship would be perfectly fine. Everyone we worked with knew that Fallon and Randy were together and no one questioned a thing. But I'm nothing like Fallon. I don't want to be a Diva. I don't want to be in the spotlight. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a blend into the background kinda girl, I make my voice heard and my opinions known but I have no desire to get in the ring. What I really wanted to do was write for the company but everyone has to start somewhere right? Plus, if I had never taken this position I never would have met him.

I tried to smile to myself as I pulled out the keycard to my room. My half smile quickly faded into a deep sigh as the sadness I felt every time we left each other hit me. This wasn't fare to either of us to have to hide. But what could we do? I leaned my head against the cool wood of the door. What I really wanted to do was tell somebody, anybody how I felt.

I, Emery Harper, was in a forbidden love with a Superstar.

**So let me know if you want to read more. Hit that little button and tell me what'cha think! Thanks! =^.^=**


	2. Chapter 2

**I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to ., psion53, ur-only-hope, AngelsDestiny22, adb226 and BatistaPrincess. You guys rock! \m/ (.) \m/ Here is chapter 2. Enjoy!**

We got lucky this week. Randy and Legacy were filming a cut scene and the production crew had brought in one of the long black leather couches. The scene was supposed to be Randy taunting the new to Legacy, Fallon.

A few weeks earlier, Fallon had been 'won'. The match was between Evan Borne and Cody Rhodes. Evan and Fallon had been in an on-screen couple until Evan messed with Legacy. The match was just supposed to be Cody versus Evan but you know Legacy, Ted DiBiase had to get involved. Now Fallon was 'property' of Randy Orton and Legacy.

It was logical that Randy, Fallon, Ted and Cody were sharing the locker room but I got lucky enough to hang out too. I just called myself being a good personal assistant. Some of the assistants had three or four Superstars/Divas that they had to keep up with. Me, I just had two. I was the PA for Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes. I was the one who made sure that they caught their flights, made it to the arena on time. I followed them to their signings/appearances and pretty much made sure that everything they needed, work related, was taken care of.

I was sitting on the far end of the couch with my back against the arm and my legs draped over Ted's. He was reading the script for tonight and stroking the side of my calf with the back of his forefinger. He was doing it absentmindedly, but I was used to it.

The other end of the sofa was dominated by Randy and Fallon. Randy was tucked into the corner with Fallon lounging in his lap, reading some magazine. I was transferring the future travel dates into my planner and phone so I had their schedule read to go. I was drawn out of my concentration by Randy.

"You can't just keep ignoring me like this Fallon." He curled a piece of her hair around his finger as she tried to shrug him off. He skimmed a fingertip down the side of her neck. "You know I'm not easily deterred." I grinned to myself as I recognized the dialogue from the script. Fallon shrugged again. I saw Ted shake his head, silently laughing at Randy. "That's it Fallon!" Randy wrapped his arm tighter around her and pulled her closer. He tossed her magazine to the floor near Cody's feet where he was sitting in a folding chair playing a game on his phone. Fallon started giggling as Randy nibbled at her neck.

Both Ted and I groaned as they started wiggling on their end of the couch. We both put down what we were doing.

"Geeze. You two need to get a room." I groaned.

"Please. God, I just ate. I don't want to see that." Ted added. I laughed.

"Ha ha. You two aren't funny." Randy said, giving Fallon's neck one last kiss before settling back in the chair. "So, I was talking to Steph the other day," (Stephanie McMahon was the acting GM and head creative writer for RAW), "and she thinks that Fallon's character should latch on to someone in Legacy." Ted nodded agreeing.

"That's a good idea." Cody said, never once looking up from his game.

"It should be Randy." I added. "It should be like she has Stockholm Syndrome or something like that Fal should totally get 'attached' to Randy since he's the one that's 'keeping' her."

"What a stupid idea." Cody spoke up again. Great, here we go.

"Shut up, Rhodes." I spat back. He set his phone down in his lap.

"How the hell would you know what would be good for the show anyway?"

"I'm a fan, dipshit. I know what I'd like to see." He sat forward in his chair. He smirked at me.

"Ha. You know what you really are?" I swung my feet out of Ted's lap and faced Cody.

"No, why don't you tell me." Sensing that there was about to be an argument, like normal, between Cody and I, both Ted and Randy tried to step in.

"Code, come on." Ted said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Cody, man, leave Emery alone." Randy tried. I held up my hand, stopping them.

"No. I wanna hear what he has to say." I looked back over at Cody, mimicking his position in his chair. "So," I held my arms out open, "what am I?"

"You're a lowly leach. You attach yourself to someone, this time its Fallon, and hang on. You hope that someone will notice you and give you everything. You're a pathetic excuse for a PA and I can't for the life of me figure out how you got this job. You're a worthless waste of space." Ouch. This time his rant really hurt. Normally, I just let the stupid shit he says roll off my back. But this time, it dug in deep. I stood up with tears stinging my eyes.

"You're an asshole." I said quietly. Cody leaned back in his seat.

"You're just pissed cause the truth hurts." I felt Ted stand up behind me.

"That's enough! Back off Cody!" Ted said. Cody just smiled.

"Still the truth though, huh Emery?"

"Fuck you Rhodes." I turned and stormed out of the locker room with Ted right on my heals. When the door closed, Ted wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. I leaned into him.

"Come on Em. Let's go hide in catering." I nodded. We made our way through the maze of the backstage, finally finding an empty catering. Thank God. Ted led me over to a table in the back. I sat down as he got me a bottle of water and a couple of napkins. He sat down beside me as I wiped at the couple of tears that were trying to escape. Ted slipped his arm back around me, tucking me against him. He laid his cheek against the top of my head.

"I'm sorry Emery." He said quietly. I sniffed.

"Sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry Cody treats you like that. I don't know why he's like that." I snuggled in closer to his chest.

"It's okay Teddy. I don't know why I let it bother me. It just eggs him on."

"That's true." He softly stroked my back while we enjoyed the silence of the empty room. "This is nice Em." Ted said quietly against my temple. I nodded.

"It is. Its nice to be alone, just the two of us. Without anyone staring or bothering us."

"Yeah." He kissed my temple. "I wish it could be like this all the time."

"Yeah, me too." He kissed my temple again. I went to wrap my arms around him when we heard some one coming into catering. We broke apart quickly. I stood up and threw my napkins away. "Come on. We'd better get back." Ted nodded in agreement. He handed me my bottle of water and we headed out. We waved at Maryse and Gail as they walked in.

I went to grab the handle to open the door to the locker room but froze as it swung open, revealing Cody standing in the doorway. He smirked down at my 5'5" height.

"Come back so I can tell you what else I think?" He said. Instead of tears this time, I got anger. He stepped sideways to let me walk in. As he turned, I placed both hands on his hard chest. I shoved, catching him off guard, as hard as I could, slamming him into the open door. I got in his face as much as I could.

"Why do you have to be such a fuckin' asshole? What did I ever do to you, huh? I'm tired of your shit. But if you got something else to say, by all means go ahead and say it." Cody stared at me in complete shock. "That's what I thought." I started to walk away. "Go fuck yourself, Rhodes." I walked straight into the shower area and slammed the door behind me.

**I would really appreciate if you keep the reviews coming. I need to know if you guys are still liking it. Please take a couple of seconds and let me know how I'm doing. Thanks! =^.^=**


	3. Chapter 3

**I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to AngelsDestiny22, psion53, ., xXxFloridaGirlRKOxXx, adb226, KimmieCena, Randy4rkocenahardy and Xandman216. You guys rock! \m/ (.) \m/ Here is chapter 3. Enjoy!**

I turned sideways in the passenger seat to take in his profile as we drove. We just landed a little while ago and were heading to pick up the other person that was traveling with us. He had been quiet since we got in the car about a half an hour ago.

I leaned into his bicep and placed my hand on his thigh. He grinned and lifted his arm so I could snuggle a little closer. As he came to a stop at a red light, he turned his head to look at me.

"You're sure that you're not still mad at me from the other day? You know I didn't mean any of that crap I said, right?"

"I know, sugar. I said some things I didn't mean either." He kissed the top of my head.

"I really pissed off Ted though, didn't I?" He said laughing. I nodded.

"You did."

"So," he pulled away from the light, "where did you and Ted go when you left the locker room?" I could detect a hint of something in his voice. I pulled back to look at him.

"Why Cody Runnels, I do believe you're jealous." I laughed, thickening my own southern accent. I unhooked my seatbelt and climbed to my knees in my seat.

"I wouldn't say jealous…just wondering." He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "What are you doing?" I leaned in and kissed his cheek, moving back towards his ear.

"Teddy and I went to catering." I shoved one hand in his hair and started unbuttoning his shirt with the other.

"Uh huh…" He said, trying to keep his focus on the road. I nipped my way down the side of his neck.

"Then he threw me on the table and had his dirty, dirty way with me." Cody slipped his hand under the back of my t-shirt to stroke my skin with his fingertips.

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I want you to take my mind off of it. Right now." I climbed over into his lap. The car swerved violently, horns blared at us.

"Uh, Emery?" I kissed across his collarbone that was now exposed. "Princess?"

"Yes, Cody?"

"I'm trying," he groaned as I rocked my hips over his, "to drive." I flicked my tongue across the smooth skin of his neck following behind it with hot open-mouthed kisses.

"Maybe," I lifted my head, "you should pull over then. Because," I kissed him, causing the car to swerve again, horns went off all around us, "I need you. Now, Cody."

"Pulling over." I kept teasing him. His shirt was now completely open and my hands were free to roam while I kissed the other side of his neck. A minute later, Cody slammed on the breaks and jerked the car into park. The instant the car turned off, his hands were all over me. "I don't think we've ever done it in the car before, Em." I lifted my head.

"Not in the front seat anyway." I smiled wickedly at him. I kissed him as he slipped his hands under my t-shirt, quickly pushing it up and over my head. I stroked down his chest to the button of his jeans. I popped it open, closely followed by the zipper. I nipped his earlobe as I slid my hand into the now open top of his pants. He hissed in his breath as I wrapped a hand tightly around his hard flesh. He dropped his head back on the seat.

"Fuck, princess. You're killing me." I flicked my tongue across the underside of his chin.

"Am I?" I asked, smiling. Just as I was about to release him from his jeans, his phone rang.

"Damn it! Don't stop, princess. I'll get rid of them." I nodded, smiling again as Cody picked up the phone from the center console and answered it on speaker. "Hello?" I stroked him softly as he kissed me.

"_Cody, __man, __where __the __hell __are __you __guys? __If __we __don__'__t __get __on __the __road __soon, __we__'__re __gonna __be __late._" The sound of Ted's voice made us both stop. Nothing like as friend that doesn't know to kill the mood. I sighed deeply and laid my forehead against Cody's shoulder.

"We're on the way Ted. Relax." As quietly as I could, I climbed out Cody's lap and put my shirt back on.

"_Relax? __Man, __we__'__re __gonna __miss__…__where__'__s __Emery?_" Cody assumed his 'character'. The one where he hated me.

"Why? You don't believe me? Don't think I can get there on time without her?"

"_Cody, __stop __being __an __ass __and __put __Emery __on __the __phone._" I smiled at Cody as he faked a huff and handed me the phone.

"I'm here, Teddy." I totally blanked on what he said to me as I watched Cody zip and re-button his pants and then his shirt. He raised an eyebrow at me still looking. He nodded down at the phone.

_"__Emery?__"_ I shook my head, clearing my very naughty thoughts.

"Sorry. I'm still here Teddy."

"_How __long __before __you __get __here?_"

"Umm…" Cody flashed both hands, palms facing me, then just one. "About 15 to 20 minutes Ted, I swear." Ted blew out a breath.

"_Alright, __I__'__ll __be __ready. __Just __honk._"

"Okay Teddy." I hung up Cody's phone and put it back where it was before. I sighed and leaned back in the seat. I rolled my head to look at Cody. He was leaned back just like I was.

"I hate Ted right now." He said quietly. He turned the car back on. I leaned back over and kissed him.

"I'll make it up to you." I kissed him again. "Tonight." He smiled against my lips.

"You promise?"

"You know I do." He tucked some hair behind my ear.

"You always make good on your promises, princess." He wrapped a hand around the side of my neck as he deepened the kiss.

"Cody?" I said, taking a breath.

"Hmm?"

"We have to pick up Ted." He nodded.

"Okay, okay. I'm stopping." With one last kiss, I sat back in my seat. He put the car in gear and pulled around the abandoned gas station he had found. He shifted in his seat as we pulled back out onto the main road. I rubbed his bicep.

"What's wrong?" He shifted again.

"Do you know how difficult it's gonna be to drive like this?" He pointed to his lap where the evidence of his arousal was still visible behind the fly of his jeans. I took his hand and linked our fingers.

"I'm sorry, sugar." He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it.

"It's okay, princess. If only Ted had given us a few minutes."

"If only." To distract him, I turned on the radio to the first pop station I could find and started to sing, making him laugh at my goofiness. All too soon, we pulled on to Ted's street. We took our time pulling up to his house, not wanting our 'alone' time to end. He held on to my hand until we parked beside Ted's front walk. Cody squeezed my hand and reluctantly let it go, honking the horn to let Ted know we were there.

"I hate this." I slid over in the seat as far as I could, away from him. He glanced out of his window at Ted's door. Seeing that Ted hadn't come out yet, he pulled me back to him and kissed me quickly.

"I do too, princess. I'm sorry." He went in to kiss me again but pulled back fast when we heard the front door open. I took out my phone and pretended to be ignoring Cody, like normal. I could hear Ted talking to Rebecca, his wife, at the door. He kissed her good-bye and started towards the car. Rebecca looked past Ted to wave to Cody and I. She called out a 'hello' to me. I loved Rebecca. She was one of the sweetest people I knew and also one of the few friends I had outside of the company. I climbed across Cody, who jerked back in this seat like it bothered him, but I knew different. I heard him groan as I touched his thigh to lean out the window. Rebecca and I talked as Ted put his stuff in the trunk of the car. The whole time I talked, Cody's hand was rubbing up and down the back of my thigh where no one could see. I tried to get him to stop by squeezing his leg. He just groaned again.

"Please, princess. You gotta move. I can't take it. Your perfume…Christ, I'm about to lose it." He whispered. I called out my good-bye to Rebecca just as Ted walked up to the window. He laughed.

"Em, stop torturing Code. Let's hit the road." He climbed into the backseat. With one last wave at Rebecca, I got back in my seat and we started to back out of the driveway. I turned and looked back at Ted.

"I was just showing Rhodes how exciting it could be to have a 'real' woman in his lap as apposed to a cyber one." Cody snorted as I turned back around.

"If you were a real woman, it might have been a turn on." I shook my head.

"Whatever. You're just jealous that I have a boyfriend and you just have your 'right-hand man'," I waved my right hand at him, " to keep you company at night." My boyfriend, as far as people knew, lived with me and his name was Garrett. Which just happened to be Cody's middle name. I was pretty much telling everyone, but no one picked up on it or connected the two.

"That's bullshit Harper and you know it. You know damn well I can have any woman I want. And I'll have you know, I date plenty."

"Really?' Ted spoke up from the backseat. "When was the last time you went on a real date? What I've heard you do I don't think could be considered dating." Cody shifted in his seat.

"Shut up, Ted." He growled at him. Now, I was intrigued. I turned back to Ted again.

"What does he do Teddy?" I asked.

"Don't you dare, DiBiase." Cody said again, making Ted laugh at him.

"Why? You embarrassed that you swim in the ringrat pool?"

"Say what?" I asked, laughing along, knowing just how untrue that statement really was.

"Ted!" Cody threatened. He was ignored.

"Supposedly, our boy here picks up some random girl and brings her back to his room. He never bothers to learn her name, so when they go at it, he always calls the girl 'princess' but he always makes sure that she does her best to let everyone around them know his name." I tried to hide my shock at what Ted just told me. Shit! He was talking about me and Cody. Need to cover up shock…must insult…

"Eww, Rhodes. That's just gross. You don't know where those rats have been." I grabbed my bag and tossed it back with Ted. "How tacky is the pet name, 'princess'? Seriously?" I faked a shudder. "That's just…I can't even sit up here with you anymore." I undid my seatbelt, again, and climbed over the seat to sit with Ted.

"It's not gross." Cody said, glancing back at me. "You're just jealous that I'm getting laid and no one wants to touch your ass. Hell, knowing you, you're still a virgin." My mouth dropped open, faking my shock. What Ted didn't know was that until I met Cody, I was a virgin. He was the only one I had ever been with and knowing us, he would be the only one I'd ever be with.

"God, you're such a dick, Rhodes. Why would I be jealous of you sleeping with some diseased whores?"

"So…are you?" Ted asked.

"What?" I turned to look at Ted and then back at Cody. "I'm SO not going to answer that."

"That's a yes." Cody said. Ted laughed and patted my knee.

"If it makes you feel any better Em, if things were different, I'd touch your sexy virgin ass." I saw Cody's hands visibly tighten up on the steering wheel. Okay, mental note: Cody doesn't like the thought of someone else touching me. Good to know.

"Thanks, Teddy." I rolled up the sweatshirt I had brought with me and laid it between my head and the window. I pulled out my phone and sent a text.

'_BTW: __I __LOVE __when __u __call __me __princess. __XO_'

I stayed on my phone so Ted wouldn't notice. I saw Cody pick up his phone as it buzzed. He grinned, knowing I could see him. I checked our schedule on my phone one more time. I tucked the phone back in my pocket and made myself drift off to sleep.

I was pulled awake about an hour later by the sound of Ted's voice.

"Jesus, Code. At this rate, we'll make it there by the time the show is over." Cody scoffed.

"Kiss my ass, Ted. We're making good time. And try to be quiet. You'll wake up Emery." Awe, he loves me. I had to fight to keep the smile from spreading across my face.

"Why do you even care? I would think you would want to wake her up, just to piss her off."

"I don't care. I just don't want to hear her mouth. Do you know how much shit I had to hear before we picked you up?" Ted chuckled.

"If you didn't mess with her so much, she wouldn't give you shit." They were quiet for about a half an hour. I tried but I couldn't make myself go back to sleep, so I faked waking up. I glanced at the rearview mirror as I stretched my back. I noticed Cody watching me. I smirked back at him.

"Did you have a nice nap, Em?" Ted asked. I nodded.

"How much longer?" I asked, knowing that would set Ted off.

"With the way he's driving, we'll get there in time for the show next year." I laughed at the irritation in Ted's voice.

"Fuck off, Ted." Cody muttered. We were driving on some four lane road. Two lanes on one side, a huge median and the other two lanes on the other side. When we got passed by a school bus, Ted lost it.

"That's it! Pull over! I can't take it anymore."

"What? No, I've got…"

"Pull over Runnels! I'm driving." Cody pulled over. Ted shoved open his door and slammed it. Before he could open Cody's door, I simply said, 'backseat'. "Get out and get on the passenger side." Cody slid out of the car and walked back and got in beside me. Cue the 'attitude'.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm getting in the car. What the hell does it look like I'm doing?" I hunkered over on my side as Ted got in the driver's seat and merged back on the road. I looked out the window, pretending to ignore Cody. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him take out his phone. A moment later, my phone buzzed.

C - '_Sorry __about __what __I __said. heart __u._'

Me - '_Its __okay. __This __suck. __I __just __want __u __2 __hold __me._'

C - '_I __want __to __do __more __than __hold __u_'

Me - '_I__'__m __sure __u __do_'

C - '_U __smell __so __damn __good, __E. __I __want __u so bad right __now!_'

Me - '_Ted. __Remember, __Ted __in __front __seat._'

C - '_Damn __it __2 __hell. __Sorry __about __this_'

Cody groaned loudly and rolled down his window.

"Jesus, Harper. Did you take a damn bath in your perfume this morning? You're killing me."

"What?" I lifted my shirt to my nose, sniffing. "I don't even smell it." Cody stuck his head halfway out the window. "Stop being an ass." I mumbled turning back to my window. Ted just turned on the radio, a sign to both of us to shut up. Needing something to keep me from thinking of crawling into Cody's lap like I did earlier, I took out my book. I read about two pages before I got interrupted.

"Let me see your book." I looked up to see Cody with his hand out to me. I held my book close to my chest.

"Why? It's not like you can read it anyway." I smiled sweetly at him. "There aren't any pictures in here, Rhodes. You won't know what's going on." He frowned.

"Give me the book." He reached out and grabbed it. Of course, I jerked it back.

"No. Lay off." We had a moment of a tug-of-war before Cody muscled the book out of my hands. He yanked it back, but unfortunately for me, the cover proved to be too slick to grip and the book flew out of his hand…and out the still open window.

"Cody! God damn it! That was my book!" I punched him in the upper arm. Ted must have seen everything that happened. He pulled over. I hit Cody again. "Damn it, Cody! I just bought that!"

"Em, I'm sorry. It just slipped out of my hand. I'm so sorry, prin…Emery." Oops! Almost a slip there on Cody's part. Ted turned in his seat just as I hit Cody's arm again.

"I'll go get it Em." He glared at Cody as he got out and walked back to where my book should be. Cody watched Ted cleared the back of the car, he turned to me.

"I really am sorry, princess." He cupped my cheek and pulled me in for a kiss. "It just slipped out of my hand."

"I know it did. I'm still pissed though." I kissed him back and glanced over the backseat to see Ted walking back. I kissed him again. "You need to be more careful. You almost called me, princess." He nodded. "Plus, you're gonna have to make it up to me for the book." I moved back over to my side with my arms folded over my chest, acting pissed. He chuckled at me.

"You know I will. When we get back to the hotel tonight, I'll make it up to you, over and over."

"I hope so." I whispered to him as Ted slid back into the car. "So, Teddy, did you find it?" He looked over his shoulder at me.

"Oh, I found it."

"Well?" He sighed.

"When it hit the road, it rolled…a lot. And when it rolled, it tore it all apart. Your book is all over the median, Em. Sorry."

"Damn it." I looked back out the window. This time Cody sighed like he was being forced to say something.

"Look Harper, I'll buy you a new book." I shook my head.

"Kiss my ass Rhodes." I said, still looking out the window. "I don't want anything from you. Just…don't talk to me."

"Fine!" Cody looked out his window. Ted shook his head and turned the radio back on. The next few hours till we got to the arena, were quiet. I sent Cody one text telling him that he owed me a new book and other things and I wanted those first. He just sent me a smiley face.

When we got to the arena we met Fallon and Randy in the locker room. I kept up our cover of me being pissed at Cody. We sat on opposite sides of the room. It turned out that Fallon had just finished the same book I just lost, so she gave me her copy. Randy laughed as I told him exactly how the book went right out of the window. I stood up and walked over to Cody, who was ignoring me, playing a game on his phone, like normal.

"He just yanked it," I pulled the phone out of his hands. His head popped up.

"What the hell, Harper?" He reached out to take it back, but I backed out of his reach. "Give it back to me." I shook my head and pretended to push buttons on it. I actually just paused his game.

"Nope." I backed towards the hallway. "I think I'll just toss your damn phone out in the parking lot."

"Hell no, Harper! Give me the damn phone!" He stood up. I shook my head.

"Nope." He took a step towards me and I turned, hauling ass down the hall, heading for the doors leading outside. I knew I'd never make it. Thankfully, no one was on our hall at the moment. I heard his footsteps behind me an instant before his arm wrapped around my waist. He lifted me up so that my feet weren't touching the ground and walked backwards a bit. I giggled quietly as I pretended to struggle. Suddenly, I was let go, spun around and pushed against a concrete wall in a dark room. Cody's mouth was on mine seconds later.

"Mmm…where are we?" I asked when he started to kiss down the side of my neck.

"Storage closet." He pulled back enough to flick on the overhead light. He surprised me by lifting me up so that I could wrap my legs around his waist. He dipped his head, going back to my neck. "I want to take you right here, right now, princess." I could feel the evidence of that rubbing tightly against me. I buried a hand in his hair.

"Yes, Cody. Here. Now." He groaned in my ear as I rocked myself against him.

"But we can't." I lifted his head.

"What? Why?" He smiled.

"For one, I don't have anything on me and two, the noises I want you to make are totally gonna give us away." I sighed in defeat.

"Later then?" I asked. He smirked and kissed me deeply.

"Oh yes, later. I promise."

**Surprise! I know a lot of you thought that she was with Ted. You can't imagine my happiness when you all fell for it. :) **

**I would really appreciate if you keep the reviews coming. Please take a couple of seconds and let me know how I'm doing. Just a tip, the more reviews I get the quicker I'll post the next chapter. Thanks! =^.^=**


	4. Chapter 4

**I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to AngelsDestiny22, psion53, ., adb226, KimmieCena, Randy4rkocenahardy, ElleEnein and Xandman216. You guys rock! \m/ (.) \m/ Here is chapter 4. Enjoy!**

I stretched and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. We still had two hours before Cody and I had to be at the airport. I smiled when I heard Cody sigh in his sleep behind me. I felt the bed shift as he rolled to his back. I rolled over to look at him.

He was still out. One of his arms was under my pillow and his other hand was laying on his abdomen. He looked so peaceful. I felt a wicked smile come across my face. I knew the perfect way to wake him up.

I slipped my knee over his hips and sat up across him. I lifted his hand off his chest and laid it on my thigh. I leaned in and started kissing his neck. He made a noise as he moved his face towards mine. I cupped both of his cheeks and held him in place as I kissed him softly.

"Wake up, Cody. I have an idea of what we can do to kill a little bit of time." I said, in between kisses.

"Mmm." I knew he was waking up. Not only did he start to kiss me back but his hands started to move. "What would that be princess?" I smiled against his lips.

"Let me show you what I was thinking." I started to kiss down his neck. I worked my way past his collarbone and made my way down the center of his chest. The farther down my kisses went, the higher my hands crawled. I moved the sheet down with my own hips, revealing both our naked bodies. I could feel his excitement pressing against my chest. I stopped right above his belly button, just to drive him crazy.

"Emery…" he moaned my name, shoving his hands deep into my hair. I decided I had teased him enough. I went to move on when we heard the knock on the door. "Ignore it, princess." I hesitated when the knock sounded again.

"Yo, Code! Man, open up." Ted's voice came through the door. Cody and I went into panic mode. I had stayed last night because everyone was flying home today. I had made our flight later so we could go together and be alone. I knew most of the guys were anxious to get home and took early as possible flights. Ted should have been on his way to the airport.

I gathered my clothes out of the floor, making sure to get my shoes and followed Cody to the door. He had thrown on a pair of jeans and nothing else. He stopped and turned to me.

"Hide in the bathroom and I'll get rid of him." He kissed me. "Don't get dressed." He smiled at me as I shut the door. I heard a bit of Ted and Cody's exchange through the closed door. Ted just needed to know when/where we were meeting up in two days. Cody told him and sent him on his way. I heard the door shut and him lock it. He walked into the bathroom and flicked on the light. He smiled at me still standing in the middle of the bathroom, holding my clothes against my chest.

"That was so close Cody. We almost got caught." He reached out and took my clothes from me, tossing them in the floor.

"I know, princess. We'll just have to be more careful next time." He stripped off his jeans and walked to the shower. He turned the water on and held his hand under the spray, feeling for the correct temperature. I walked over, wrapped my arms around his waist, pressed myself against him and laid my cheek on the warm skin of his back.

"I wish everything could be normal with us. I wish it could be like it is with Fallon and Randy. They can walk down the street holding hands and not worry if the wrong person is gonna see them." Cody rubbed my hand.

"You could always become a diva, like Fallon." He grabbed both of my wrists and stepped into the shower, pulling me with him. He pulled me around so that I was standing in front of him, facing him, under the spray. "I can see it now, you all hot in the Diva's magazine. All the other Divas being jealous and every single guy wanting some of your sexy body…on second thought…bad idea. I don't think I like the thought of other guys looking at you like that. I want you all for myself." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're mighty possessive, Mr. Runnels." I said, running my hands down his wet chest.

"Only over what's mine."

"I'm yours?" He just nodded. "Maybe," I pulled him in for a kiss, "I might just need you to prove it." His hand skimmed down my back.

"With pleasure."

Two days later, we met back up with Ted and headed on the non-stop promotion that happened the days leading up to a pay-per-view. We had two house shows and then numerous radio shows, local interviews and appearances to get through. There was nothing more tiring for the boys than answering the same 5 questions over and over again. But I knew for a fact that they both loved the appearances. Any chance to interact with the fans, even though they were heels is what they lived for.

Finally, the night of the pay-per-view came. The entire arena was pumped. Not only was the pay-per-view gonna be a hit, Mr. McMahon had, since the company was having a stellar quarter, rented out a ballroom in one of the near by hotels. We were having a post pay-per-view party. Open bar, DJ, food, the works. Best part, it wasn't only for the Superstars/Divas, it was for all of us. But first we had to get through the night.

Now, everyone was sitting in a big conference room in the arena. Mr. McMahon had a meeting like this before EVERY pay-per-view. No one was exempt from these meetings. Everyone from the lighting and sound guys down to the people working the merch stands in the lobby was required to be there.

I was sitting in the back with a couple of the divas and Fallon. We were talking and killing time till the meeting started. Across the room, near the front, I could see Cody sitting with Ted, Randy and John Cena. They were talking the same as we were. I was laughing at something Melina was telling us when my phone buzzed in my pocket. Of course it was Cody.

C – _'Last night was amazing. I heart when u play naughty princess.'_

Me – _'Every night is amazing. You liked naughty princess, huh?'_ I saw him grin as he opened the message. I typed another message as Mr. McMahon walked in and got our attention.

Me – _'Well ur naughty princess isn't wearing any underwear.'_ Just as the meeting was called to order and everyone got quiet, he opened the message. He inhaled sharply and started to cough as he choked. Mr. McMahon shot him a glare.

"Mr. Rhodes, is there something you want to share with everyone?" Cody shook his head as his ears turned pink.

"No. Sorry, Vince." Mr. McMahon nodded and continued. Randy elbowed Cody in the side. He just waved him off. I smiled to myself. I was so gonna pay for this later.

The pay-per-view went off smoothly. Cody and Ted won their match and Randy, with Fallon at ringside, won the championship. Yes, with a little help from Cody and Ted.

We decided to get ready for the party at the arena. Fallon and I used the bathroom while Randy, Ted and Cody got dressed in the locker room. Fallon, as always, looked killer in her little black mini-skirt and flowing royal purple, off one shoulder top. I wouldn't be surprised if she and Randy left the party early. Luckily, for the 5 of us, we were all booked in the same hotel as the party. We wouldn't have to go too far this evening.

I knew I would never get as much attention as Fallon. (Let's be honest, Cody was the only one that thought I was attractive.) So, I decided to wear all black tonight. I had skin tight jeans and a scoop neck, off both shoulders, top. I thought I looked really nice. And, like always, when I walked out of the bathroom, Ted whistled.

"Damn, Emery. You look good." I smiled at him and did a little turn. "Nice. Code," he nudged Cody in the side, "doesn't Em look hot?" Cody glanced up from whatever he was reading in his lap. He looked back down only to instantly look at me again. He shrugged.

"I guess she looks okay." Randy laughed.

"Damn Rhodes. You need to get your head out of your ass for a second. Em looks way better than okay. She looks smoking." I blushed slightly.

"Thanks Randy. Ted." They both smiled.

"You're very welcome." Ted told me, spinning his wedding ring. Something I knew he did when he was thinking about and missing Rebecca.

"No thanks necessary, E." Randy said. "It's the truth."

"You say that now, but wait till you see Fallon." Randy just smiled. When she finally came out, Randy was speechless. Yeah, they were so leaving the party early.

The party was half full when we got there. Everyone, but me, headed to the bar. I don't drink very often, very rarely actually. It has to be a special occasion for me to drink. I headed over to talk to one of my favorite people, Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin. He was totally my buddy. He had been one of the first ones to befriend me (outside of Ted, Randy and obviously Cody) when I first started. He had just been drafted over to RAW and was stilling getting his bearings much like I had been. We had clicked and been friends ever since.

I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist from behind. He stiffened a bit, not realizing it was me.

"Oh Mizzy. Please run away with me. I can't live another day without you." I told him laughing. He turned around, smiling.

"Oh Emery!" He over-exaggerated my hug. "Thank God! I didn't know how much longer I could go on without you." I laughed as he squeezed me tightly and rocked me side to side. "So," he pulled back to look at me, "where's your guard dog?" Referring to Cody. Did Mike know about us? No, he didn't. 'Work Cody', always gave me crap about being friends with Mike. 'Real Cody', worried about it. He kept telling me that his gut was telling him that Mike was up to something. He didn't know what but it was just a feeling. I kept telling him that he was being paranoid and over-protective.

"Who? Rhodes?" Mike nodded. "Who cares where he is? It's nice to have one night to myself where I don't have to cater to his every whim. Ted, I don't mind but Rhodes drives me absolutely bat-shit crazy." Mike laughed.

"I don't think he likes me very much." He said, nodding towards a table across the room where Randy, Fallon, Ted and Cody, who was staring at Mike and I, were sitting. He slowly took a sip of beer, never taking his eyes off of us.

"Naw. He's just jealous that I can't stand him and I actually like you." Mike laughed again.

"How could you not like me? I'm awesome." I shook my head at him, laughing.

"That never gets old, Mike. Really it doesn't."

A few hours later, I had danced with half the roster, eaten dinner, with Cody secretly feeling me up under the table, had gone back to the dance floor and now I was dancing with Maryse and Melina. Fallon and Randy had long since gone back to their room. Even Ted had called it a night. That just left Cody and I. I had watched him dance with some of the divas and so wished it was me. I tried to not think about it when I watched him walk to the bar to get some water. The song ended and faded into another one as I felt someone wrap their arm around my waist and pull me close. I turned in his arms to find (how I prayed it was Cody) Mike standing there.

"Dance with me, Em." He said in my ear. I nodded and draped my arms over his shoulders. He wrapped an arm around my hips as we moved to the music. I was so involved in dancing, I didn't notice that Mike was slowly moving us from the dance floor and we were headed for a dark empty corner of the room. I dropped my arms when I finally realized where we were.

"Mike? What are we doing over here?" He leaned in.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?"

"Mean what? What did I say?" I could smell the overwhelming scent of alcohol coming from him. He was more than half-way drunk.

"When you said you wanted me?" Say what?

"Mike, honey, you know I didn't say that." I hesitated when I felt my back come up against the wall. I laid my hands on his chest. "Mike, you know I have a boyfriend." He leaned in closer.

"But he ain't here, is he?" I tried to push him back as he tried to kiss me. I turned my head so his lips hit my cheek. "Don't be like this, Emery. You want me too." I kept trying to shove him back but he was way too strong for me. I was starting to get a little scared.

"Mike, please. This isn't funny anymore." He tried to kiss me again.

"I'm having fun." He pressed me harder into the wall. "I'm having loads of fun, Emery." I tried pushing him again. He didn't budge.

"Mike, please don't do this." I was on the verge of crying.

"You have two seconds to back up from her or…" Mike jerked his head up at the sound of Cody's voice. He took a step away from me but not enough so that I could move away.

"Or you'll what Rhodes?" Cody took a step closer, getting in his face, pushing him back a step. I was able to move away.

"I'll beat your ass like you know I can." I grabbed Cody's arm.

"Cody?" He turned to look at me, completely ignoring Mike, showing him that he didn't feel threatened by him.

"Emery, you okay? Did he hurt you?" I shook my head.

"No. I just wanna get out of here."

"Okay." He turned back to Mike. "You stay the hell away from Emery. If I catch you near her again, one of us won't be walking away." He put his hand on the small of my back and led me out of the ballroom. He was quiet as we got onto the elevator but I could tell by the tension in his body that he was so very angry. Thank God the car was empty.

"Cody?" I touched his arm and set off the spark of fury in him.

"That stupid asshole. I knew he was messing with you. How the fuck does he think he has the right to touch you like that?" He paced tightly in the small car. He was so angry. That and added to how he came to my rescue…I was so incredibly turned on. I grabbed his arm as he got close.

"Cody? Sugar?" He took a deep breath and turned to face me.

"Yes, Emery?" I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him against me, where I was leaned up against the wall. He stopped himself by bracing his hands on the wall on either side of my shoulders. We were mere inches apart. "Princess?"

"Thank you for coming to my rescue."

"You're welcome, Em. You know I'd never…" I talked over him.

"And the way you stood up to Mike…that was so damn sexy. I love when you're angry and aggressive." I pulled him in sharply and kissed him. "Take me, Cody. I want you so bad." I panted.

"Em…" I cut him off quickly.

"Stop talking." I drove my fingers in his hair and jerked him down to kiss me. This time he didn't question. His hands slid from the wall to my back pulling me closer. I snaked my arms around his neck and jumped up, forcing him to catch me. I wrapped my legs tight around his hips. Never once did he break contact with my mouth as he pressed me back against the wall. Cody froze as the elevator came to a stop on our floor. He went to put me down.

"No, don't. Check the hall." He nodded. When the doors opened, he peered out.

"No one. It's clear." I grinned at him. He kissed me as he carried me out of the elevator. He worked his way down to the side of my neck. "What room, princess?"

"Yours. 830, Cody. Hurry." A few moments later, he pressed me up against his door this time. Again, he attacked my neck as he dug his keycard out of his pocket. We followed the door in as he pushed it open. We stepped away, letting it close and lock behind us. Cody walked over to the bed. He dropped me down so that I was sitting on my knees. I had already mostly unbuttoned his shirt on the way to the room. I grabbed both sides and yanked it open, sending the remaining buttons flying. I leaned in and kissed the center of his chest, looking up at him.

"I'll fix them when we get home." I kissed up to the side of his neck as he pulled my shirt up and over my head. He worked at the hooks of my bra as I undid his pants. They both came off as I stepped off the bed. Cody shrugged out of his shirt. He smirked at me as I undid my own pants and slipped both them and my panties off, leaving me completely naked in front of him.

"God damn Emery." He took a step back to me, cupped my hips and pulled me against him. I could feel how hard he was pressed flush against my stomach. He dipped his head to kiss my shoulder working over towards my throat. "You're so damn beautiful, princess." I stroked his naked back.

"And you," I moaned quietly, dropping my head back as he nipped at the side of my neck, "you're still wearing too many clothes." Referring to his tight straining boxers. I stepped back and laid back on the bed. I smiled wickedly at him and crooked my finger at him, telling him to come get me. He smiled back at me as he leaned in on a knee and started to climb up my body. I propped myself up on my elbows, watching him come closer. I rubbed the inside of my foot up the side of his thigh. He stopped to drop kisses on my stomach right above my belly button. I fell off my elbows to tunnel my fingers in his hair. He worked his way up my body, kissing his way between my breasts, up the side of my throat till we were face to face.

"Please, Cody." I begged. While his mouth had been teasing me, his hands had been setting me on fire. Even now, I was rocking my hips in time to the movement of his fingers. "I need you…please." He slowly pulled his hand away, drawing a deep moan from me. He silenced me with a steamy kiss.

"Ready for me, princess?" I moaned a soft 'yes'. He kissed me as he slipped his hand in between our bodies. He stopped short of pushing down his boxers.

"What's wrong sugar?" I asked as he leaned back away from me.

"Don't move, princess." He climbed out of the bed and walked to the foot of the bed where his carry on was. He lifted it and sat it on top of the desk, rummaging through it quickly. I crawled to the foot of the bed and stepped off behind him. I wrapped my arms around his waist as I kissed across his back. "Hold on, Em." He kept digging in his bag, while I pushed his boxers down his hips.

"I need you to hurry, Cody." I ran my hands up and down his chest, still kissing his back.

"I'm trying, prin…oh, thank you Jesus! I found one." He held up the foil wrapper. I smiled and walked around in front of him. I took the condom out of his hand and placed my hands on his chest. I kissed him and pushed him back towards the bed. His legs came up against the edge of the mattress. I pushed him harder, making him sit down. I straddled his lap. He didn't hesitate to kiss me. I ran my hands down his chest, sneaking them between our bodies so that I could grip his burning length. I quickly rolled the condom down over him as I nipped his lower lip.

I rose up slightly. I moaned his name as I lowered myself down him. His hands gripped my hips and helped me move. My hands fisted in his hair as he kissed his way across my collarbone. He surprised me by standing up, still deep inside of me and sat me back on the desk. He kept a hand on my hip and slapped a palm against the wall behind me. Cody groaned something that sounded a lot like my name as he started to rock himself in and out of me.

My legs tightened around his hips, holding him close. I flattened my hands on his back. I could feel the warm tightening in my stomach. I slicked my hands through the sheen of sweat on his skin all the way up to his shoulders. My head fell back as I moaned his name.

"Cody…yes…God. I need you harder, Cody. Harder." He stopped moving and stepped back away from me. "Cody?"

"You want harder, princess?" I bit my lip and nodded. He grinned and lifted me off the desk. He turned and tossed me back on the bed. Before I could move, he was there pinning me to the bed. He lifted my hips up off the bed with his arm under them. He fisted his hand in the sheets by my head. He leaned in and kissed me moments before he started to pound himself into me. I cried out at the sensation. "Is that what you want?" Cody growled in my ear. I moaned his name loudly, giving him his affirmation that was doing exactly what I wanted. I was slightly conscious, in my almost too much to bare pleasure haze, that the knocking/pounding sound I was hearing was the headboard of the bed bouncing off the wall.

Moments later, I screamed out Cody's name as pleasure flooded through me and my release sparked through my veins. Mine set off Cody's and seconds later, he dropped to his forearms on either side of my head. He smiled down at me as my arms slowly slid off his back. It took way too much energy to keep them up there. He kissed me softly.

"That was amazing, Em." He whispered to me. I kissed him.

"No, Code, you were amazing."

"I wouldn't be without you, princess. I love you so much, Em."

"I love you too, Cody. Always."

Cody slowly opened his eyes. He rolled his head to the side only to come up short when his cheek came in contact with Emery's forehead where she had her face tucked up against his neck. He smiled to himself as he felt the rest of her body pressed against his side. Her arm was draped across his chest, their legs were tangled together and the rumpled sheets were barely covering their bodies.

He sighed contently, stroking the silky soft skin of Emery's back as his mind replayed the events of the night before. Anger flashed through him as he remembered the way Mike treated his Em last night. He had known in his gut that shithead was up to something. He had just about made up his mind to have a 'talk' with him when he heard the knock on the door. He glanced over at the bedside clock. It was only 9am. Who could that be?

Cody felt Emery start to stir as the knocking sounded again. He kissed her forehead.

"Stay here, princess. I'll take care of them." He gently untangled himself from her and laid her back down. She sighed softly in her sleep and snuggled into his pillow. He found and slipped on his boxers as he made his way to the door. He peeked through the peephole. Shit! It was Ted on the other side. He opened the door a crack and started to stick his head out.

"Ted? Man, what do you…" Ted shoved the door, throwing Cody of balance so he didn't have a chance to stop Ted from just walking into the room. Fuck! He walked over and stood between Ted and a still sleeping Emery. Ted was looking at their clothing scattered around on the floor.

"I didn't know you were still," he nudged Emery's panties laying in the floor with the toe of his shoe, "entertaining, man." He glanced around Cody's shoulder at the bed. "I thought you normally kicked your rats out when you were done with them."

"Man, don't say that shit about her." Cody shook his head, shutting himself up before he said too much. "What do you want?" Ted kept staring around his shoulder.

"You know," he nodded his head towards the bed, "your girl there looks a lot like Emery." Cody glanced over his shoulder. Emery was lying on her stomach with her hair mussed around her head, a tribute as to how they had spent their night. Her hand was curled up near her face. Even though it was quiet obvious that she was naked, surprisingly, you couldn't see anything. Even though the sheets were bunched and knotted around her waist, covering up just her butt and the top part of one of her thighs. She looked so damn beautiful. Stay focused Runnels.

"What are you doing here, Ted?" He asked again.

"Speaking of Emery, have you seen her?" Cody shook his head 'no'. "I can't find her. I called her room and I went there, no answer. I checked with Randy and Fal and they haven't seen her either. I checked downstairs, thinking that she came down for breakfast, but no."

"Why would I know where she is?" Cody asked. He needed to get Ted out of here now!

"I don't know. You were just my last resort. Let me call her phone." Cody slapped his hand over Ted's phone. He knew Emery's phone was somewhere in the room. She never went anywhere with out that phone.

"Why?" Ted raised an eyebrow at him. Cody scrabbled to cover his ass. "Why do you have to do that here?" Ted pulled the phone away. Cody prayed that her phone died sometime during the night as Ted hit the send button.

"Aren't you wondering where she is? Good it's ringing." Cody sat down heavily on the foot of the bed as the muffled sounds of 'It's A New Day' started to play. That was the song she had set to play when Ted called. Emery was going to be so mad at him. They had finally gotten caught after two years and it was all his fault. Cody looked down at his feet when recognition came over Ted's face.

Damn that ringing. I didn't want to wake up yet. I reached out for Cody.

"Cody? Sugar, turn that off." I mumbled into the pillow. The ringing stopped. I felt out for Cody's body so I could snuggle into him, but he wasn't there. I went to roll over, unknotted the blanket and pulled it up to cover my chest. I opened my eyes to see Cody sitting at the end of the bed. I smiled and wrapped the sheet around me as I sat up and crawled down to him.

"Cody?" He lifted his head and smiled sadly at me. I wrapped my arms around his chest as he pulled me close with an arm around my shoulder. I closed my eyes and tucked my forehead against the side of his throat. He kissed my temple. "Come back to bed. It's cold without you." He sighed.

"Princess, I have something to tell you." I lifted my head, instantly worried.

"What's wrong?" I leaned in and kissed him. I jumped at the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Emery?" I slowly turned my head in shock. This couldn't be happening. My heart dropped to my stomach as my eyes confirmed what I heard.

"Teddy?"

**I would really appreciate if you keep the reviews coming. Please take a couple of seconds and let me know how I'm doing. Just a tip, the more reviews I get the quicker I'll post the next chapter. Thanks! =^.^=**


	5. Chapter 5

**I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to AngelsDestiny22, psion53, ., adb226, KimmieCena, Randy4rkocenahardy, ElleEnein and Xandman216. You guys rock! \m/ (.) \m/ Here is chapter 4. Enjoy!**

Cody and I sat in the backseat of Ted's rental like two scolded children. At least we didn't have to act like we hated each other in front of him now.

"So, let me get this straight," Ted was having a hard time understanding that the two of us didn't despise the mere presence of each other, "your boyfriend, Garrett, is actually Cody?" Ted glanced at me in the rear-view mirror.

"Yes." I said, leaning in to Cody's side. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"It's my middle name, Ted."

"So, the two of you live together too?"

"Yes." We said in unison.

"All those rumors about the ringrats...they were all Emery?"

"Yeah. Why do you think I kept telling you to shut up? I'd heard the rumors myself. I figured if they kept on, no one would ever suspect me and Em were together."

"Wait, wait, wait...how long have you two been together?" Ted asked.

"Nearly two and half years." I said quietly as Cody stroked my shoulder.

"What?" Ted stomped on the breaks and pulled into some random parking lot. He jerked the car into park and got out. He started to pace beside the still running car. I sighed.

"I guess we should get out and try to talk to him."

"Yeah, I guess we should." Cody agreed. I opened the door and slid out with him right behind me. I walked over and laid a hand on Ted's arm.

"Teddy?" He spun around to face me.

"What the hell, Emery? I thought you and I were friends. How could you could you keep something this big from me?"

"Ted, you have to understand..." He grabbed my upper arms, shaking me slightly.

"Understand what? That I'm not important enough to tell that my two best friend have been fuckin' around for years?" He was in my face, yelling at me. Cody stepped up and shoved Ted back a step or two with a hand on his chest.

"Ted, man, back off. Let her go." Ted's head snapped towards Cody. He let go of my arm and grabbed the front of Cody's t-shirt in both fists.

"And you," Ted snarled and slammed Cody into the side of the car, "how the fuck could you say the shit you've said to her, do the shit you've done to her, if you claim that you care about her?" Cody dropped his arms, not fighting back.

"I do love her, man. It's just..." Ted slammed him again.

"That's bullshit! I've never said or done shit like that to Rebecca and never would." Again, Cody's back came in contact with the car.

"Teddy, please stop. It's not his fault." I tried to wrap my hands around his arm. "Please Teddy." I had never seen him act this way. He was so angry. I was actually scared. Ted finally looked away from Cody to me. His hands dropped away from Cody's shirt as he saw the tears streaming down my face and my probably scared look.

"Emery. Oh Jesus Em, I'm sorry." He stepped back a few steps at the same time that Cody noticed that I was crying.

"Princess?" I turned and buried my face in Cody's chest, wrapping my arms around him. His arms instantly came around me, comforting me. I knew that had to shock Ted. Normally, when I was upset, He was the one that I ran to.

"Did he hurt you?" I asked quietly. Cody rubbed my back softy.

"No, I'm okay." He pressed his cheek against the top of my head. "We're okay." He rubbed my back for a few minutes till the tears finally subsided. I kept my cheek laying against his chest, over his heart.

"It was my idea for Cody to act that way towards me." I said, finally speaking to Ted. "It was easier for me to resist treating him like my boyfriend around everyone if he was a total asshole to me. If he treated me like you did, then I would have been all over him and given everything away. I couldn't risk losing my job and not seeing either of you everyday."

"Why would you lose your job?" Ted asked. He hadn't bothered to step back up to where Cody and I were standing, still leaning against the side of the car. I guess he thought I was afraid of him now.

"Don't you remember the clause in everyone's contract when they joined the company? Talent isn't supposed to have any kind of 'relationship' with 'back office'." Cody told him. "We're talent and Emery's considered back office. She could get fired for this and I could get suspended." He rubbed my back softly. "I don't give a shit about the suspension but I don't want Em to lose her job."

"We could also get sued for breach of contract. You know how Mr. McMahon is. He wouldn't understand that we love each other." I sighed. "We didn't risk telling anyone cause we were afraid it would get out. Not that you or Fallon or Randy would tell anyone but just in case..." I said.

"Does anyone know about you two?"

"Mom, Dad, Dustin and Dakota." Cody said, referring to his parents (yes, the fabulous Dusty Rhodes), his brother (yep, Goldust knew) and his niece, Dustin's daughter. "The only reason they know is because when we first moved into the house, they thought I was there alone." I could remember my shock when I opened the door that day. We thought it was the pizza guy. Nope, not hardly. They were just as surprised as Cody and I were. At least I had put on one of Cody's button up shirts on at the time.

"So, Dustin knows?" Ted asked.

"Yeah. Haven't you ever noticed how nice he is to her when we see him?"

"Yeah, but he's nice to everyone."

"I know, but he's extra nice to Emery. He adores her." I looked up at Cody.

"He does?" I asked. Dustin and I had become friends and I totally loved Dakota, but I didn't know he 'adored' me. Cody kissed my forehead.

"You know he does. He considers you part of our family." I just smiled.

"What about your parents Em?" Ted asked. I shook my head.

"No, they don't know. My mom is a major gossip. Everyone in Virginia would know about it before I could even get out of the state." Fallon and I had grown up in a small town outside of Richmond, Virginia. Our parents were none to happy when we moved away. I leaned back from Cody and straightened his shirt. I rubbed at the small wet spot that I made. "Oh Code, I'm sorry." He looked down at the spot. He smiled.

"It's okay Emmy. It'll dry." I started to argue but he cupped my cheek and kissed me softly. "Stop worrying about it princess. It's fine."

"Okay." I kissed him back.

"This is too weird. I don't know if I can take you two being nice to each other, much less loving and affectionate." Ted said, shaking his head. I stepped away from Cody and hugged Ted. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. "I'm sorry I yelled at you Em."

"It's okay. But I need you to promise me something, Teddy."

"What's that?"

"You have to keep this secret. Nobody can know. Not even Fallon and Randy. Please Teddy. I don't want Cody to get in trouble." Ted smiled.

"I promise. I won't tell anyone."

"Really?" I asked, smiling at him.

"Yeah, really. I don't want either of you to get in trouble. You are my two best friends. I won't let either of you lose your jobs." I hugged him tightly.

"I love you, Teddy." Cody clapped him on the shoulder.

"Thanks man."

Within an hour, Ted was over his mad and started with the joking. At one point, I nodded off with my head in Cody's lap. I came awake with the feel of him softly running his fingers through my hair. I was just about to open my eyes when I heard Ted's voice.

"You really love her don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. You don't know how much it kills me to say those things to her like I do. I can't stand pretending to hate her when all I want to do is be able to hold her hand in front of people or give her a kiss goodbye when I leave the room. I hate that it's like this. That's what she wants me to do and I'll do anything to make her happy but I think she deserves to be treated better than this." At that, I let them know I was awake.

"Don't say that Cody." I sat up. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me." I kissed him. "You treat me better then I could ever ask for. I wouldn't trade my time with you for anything." I kissed him again.

"Good to know, princess." Cody grinned at me and kissed my forehead.

"Hey! What about our time together?" Ted said, teasingly.

"As much as I love you Teddy...I hate to break it to you but I sorta love Cody more." I saw him fake a pout in the rear-view mirror. "Plus, I don't think Rebecca would like me to spend time with you the way Cody and I spend some of our time together." I saw understanding pass over Ted's face. He nodded in agreement.

"Good point."

We were all sitting in the locker room a couple of days later when Erin, Stephanie's assistant came in and told us that she wanted to see us. Randy Fallon, Ted and Cody got up to leave. I just kept working on our flights. I said 'bye' as they started to walk out.

"Oh Emery?" Erin said. I looked up. "Steph wants to see you too." I looked at her confused. She just shrugged. I grabbed my notebook and a pen out of my bag. Stephanie probably just needed me to take notes on something. I caught up to them just as they were going into the office. Cody sent me a glare.

"Hurry the hell up Harper. We don't have all damn day." He held the door open for me, contradicting his attitude. He let me walk in first and stepped up behind me, pressing himself against me. No one noticed. "You feel good like this, princess." Cody whispered low enough that he couldn't be heard over everyone else. Then 'work Cody' made a return. "You gonna move some time today, Harper?"

"Shut up, Rhodes." I stepped to one side of the room, away from the warmth of Cody, where I wished I could stay, and hopped up to sit on top of the table there. Everyone quickly found seats and looked at Stephanie expectantly as she sat behind her temporary desk.

"Thanks for coming guys. Okay, as you know, we have the current storyline working that Fallon gets attached to one of you. Randy and I were talking and he told me about Emery's idea of it being him." She looked directly at me. "I like the Stockholm Syndrome idea. And since Randy is the 'leader' he was the perfect choice. Good job." I looked down at my notebook as I mumbled a 'thanks'. I hadn't been prepared to be praised by Stephanie McMahon. It was kinda nice. "So we came up with a scene. This is going to be the beginning of Fallon becoming attached to Randy." As she started to shuffle some papers on her desk, I ventured a glance at Cody. He was watching me. He shot me a quick grin. I looked back down at my notebook as the smile spread across my face. Cody was proud of me. That felt better than any praise from Stephanie.

I looked back up as she said my name. "Emery, would you hand one of these to everyone?" I sat my notebook down and took the papers from her. They were mini-scripts for the cut scene they were going to film. "We rented out a boutique for the day to film this." I gave Cody his script last. His smile held a promise of a private congratulations later. I grinned back at the same time that I realized had an extra script in my hand.

"Ms. McMahon, I have an extra one." I told her and started to hand it back to her. She shook her head.

"That's your copy, Emery." I just nodded and went back to my seat. That must have meant that I had to get Ted or Cody ready for part of the scene. I glanced around the room as everyone flipped through the script. About the same time, a worried look came over Fallon and Randy faces as a wicked grin came over Ted's. I saw the blood drain out of Cody's face as he jumped out of his seat.

"What the hell Steph? I'm not doing that! No way. I don't want to do a damn scene with her. That's not in her job description."

"Cody…" Stephanie tried to cut in.

"There's no way in hell I'd ever look at her twice if she passed me on the street. I can barely tolerate her and she works here. Why would I want to pretend to make out with her?" He paused to flip through the script. "No, I'm sorry, why would I want to pretend to have sex with her? I mean look at her." He looked directly at me. "Would you want to?" This time, I felt all the blood in my head rush to my feet. Was Cody saying what I think he was saying? He knew I was totally NOT up for being on camera. I didn't want that spotlight. Please God, don't let that be what he's talking about. I grabbed my script and flipped through it till…fuck me, I saw my name. I was gonna play the shop girl that Cody was going to seduce out of her shirt (literally) for Randy to give to Fallon.

"Ms. McMahon, there has to be some kind of a mistake." I said with pleading in my eyes.

"You're damn right there's a mistake." Cody muttered.

"That's enough Cody!" She said and looked back at me. "There's no mistake Emery. I wanted to reward you for your idea. I thought this would be perfect." She smiled sweetly at me. "All you have to do is slightly flirt with him and fake some naughty giggles. You'll do fine."

"But…" She cut me off.

"You five will need to be in LA and at the store tomorrow by 3pm. Better go book a flight." With that, she dismissed us.

Cody didn't wait for anyone else on the way back to the locker room. When the rest of us got back, he was sitting in the corner absorbed in something on his phone. Just as I cleared the door, my phone buzzed. I knew before I looked, it was Cody.

C - 'Sorry. I tried Em. Maybe it won't be so bad.'

Me - 'I hope not. Thanks anyway. 3 U.'

C - 'U2'

I set down my phone and brought up the site on my laptop for flights. "Do you want me to see if I can get us all a flight together?" Randy, Fallon and Ted all said 'yes'. Cody didn't answer but I knew what his answer would have been anyway. I finally found us a flight leaving from Houston, where we currently were, at midnight. That meant, after the show, we'd have to go straight to the airport.

Cody and Ted finished before Randy did. He and Fallon had a small scene to shoot to lead up to the scene we were doing tomorrow. So, we went ahead and drove our rental to the airport.

"Maybe this won't be so bad." Ted spoke up from the backseat. Cody turned to look at him. Yeah, the boys let me drive for a change.

"What's not gonna be bad about it? Em doesn't want to be on camera, at all. And then how the hell are we gonna be able to 'fake' having sex in that backroom?" I laid a hand on Cody's knee.

"Code, it'll be fine." I said quietly. He turned back to me.

"How am I gonna keep my body in check when you start to make those little noises…."

"Awe, hell! I don't want to hear that guys." Ted covered his ears. I laughed and rubbed Cody's knee softly.

"We'll figure it out sugar."

I thought, when I booked our flights that I had put Cody, Randy and Fallon together but when we checked in I had actually put Randy and Fallon, together, by themselves and I had ended up between Ted and Cody. Not that it really bothered me but both of us had to pretend that it did.

I woke up a few hours later from the gentle nudge I was getting. "Wake up, princess. We're about to land." Cody whispered softly against my temple. I had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Damn, even in my sleep, I wanted to be with Cody.

That little nap on the plane was all the sleep I got. I tossed and turned, not being able to sleep at all. I was dreading the next afternoon which came all too quickly for me. The five of us walked into the boutique as one of the RAW crews was setting up some additional lights and getting the cameras prepared. I could feel myself starting to get a little nervous. I felt a hand caress my lower back and then felt Cody nudge his way past me. I looked at him just a second before a young lady that I recognized as one of the wardrobe girls from work, Jessica, walked up to me.

"Emery, we're ready for you."

"Ready for me? I have to change?" I looked down at my nice black dress pants and dark blue pull over shirt. I thought I looked fine. Jessica smiled at me.

"Yeah. Stephanie had a specific outfit she wanted you in. How are you with wearing heels?" I shrugged as she lead me to the backroom where Cody and I were going to shoot our 'scene'.

"I'm okay. Why?" She held up a pair of black 3-inch heels. She also held up a slip of black cloth and a shimmery green top. "What's that?" She smiled.

"Your costume."

Twenty minutes later, I stepped out of the back. Jessica had done my hair and updated my makeup. She had made me put on the short black skin tight mini-skirt that hit me WAY above mid-thigh and a fitted Emerald top that hung off both my shoulders.

"So boys," Jessica announced, getting everyone's attention, "what do you think?" She made me spin in place. Randy, Ted and even Cody were just staring at me. I started to feel self-conscious so I looked down at my feet and smoothed down the invisible wrinkles in the skirt. "Well?" Jessica prompted.

"Wow." Was all Ted could said. He walked over and made me spin in place again. He just smiled. "You look crazy hot Em." I blushed, noticing that Cody was still staring at me.

Randy and Fallon walked over, giving the same kind of complements. Randy turned and glared at Cody, making him walk over. "Try and say something nice." I heard him mutter to him.

"You don't' look too bad, Harper." He said.

"Thanks, I guess." Ted stepped away to take a phone call, probably from Rebecca and Randy followed Fallon to hair and makeup, leaving Cody and I alone for a moment. He leaned in.

"Ted's right, you do look smokin' hot." I smiled softly.

"Thanks Code." He took my hand in his, below the rack of clothed we were standing by, where no one could see, linking our fingers.

"I don't want you to change the way you dress cause I liked it before. But I do think you should keep those shoes. I want to see you in nothing but them later on." He smirked. I smiled again. Before I could have my comeback for that, the director called out for us to get in our places. Okay. I took a deep breath. Let the fun begin.

The first shot of the scene was of Legacy walking in with a reluctant Fallon trailing behind them. Cody and Ted forced the few customers in the store out. Randy locked the door and turned the sign to 'Closed'.

The next shot was of Cody and Ted coming across me putting something away. I was bent over at the waist and the camera was focused on my butt. All I could think was thank God that Fallon had been making me go to the gym with her extra in the last few months.

The rest of the scenes went on with out anymore of me. I stood nervously, off camera. I was so worried about Cody's and my scene coming up. The first part that I did wasn't too bad. All I had to say was a surprised, 'Oh!' when Ted said, 'Hey!' and 'Okay. What choice do I have?' when Randy said that they were taking over the store. I was brought out of my daydream by the director's voice.

"Okay. Good job guys. Let's set up for the next scene." He looked down at the script in his hand. "I'm gonna need Mr. Orton, Mr. DiBiase and Mr. Rhodes again and also Ms. Harper. Five minutes." Shit. I didn't know if I could do this. Hopefully, I could do what Cody and Ted had told me, just pretend that the cameras and all the extra people weren't there. Cody also told me to act like normal. He wasn't going to be 'work Cody'. He was going to be himself and treat me like he did when we were alone, just with a bit of the Legacy attitude. He said that I should react to him like I would normally. Not work normally, home normally.

I walked over to the rack that I was supposed to be putting clothes on. Again, my back was towards the camera. I started playing around with the clothes as the director called action. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Randy and Ted play their parts as Ted fought Cody over who got to come talk to me. I took a deep breath as Cody started to walk over to me. He had that smirk that I knew so well. I tried not to smile. I knew our dialogue wouldn't be heard so God knows what he was about to say. I started to relax a little as he stopped behind me.

"So have I told you how amazing your ass looks in that skirt?" He said quietly. I turned around slowly, like I was supposed to and smiled a genuine smile.

"Not today sugar." He smiled back. He ran a finger down the side of my arm, stopping at my wrist.

"All I can think about is how we're supposed to fake it in the back." He fingered the edge of my sleeve as he talked. "But right now, I want you so bad I can taste it, Em." I tilted my head slightly to the side like I was listening to his proposal. I ran my hand down his chest.

"Damn it, Cody. Don't say things like that." He took hold of my wrist, stopping me.

"Why? Does it turn you on?" He stroked the inside of my wrist with his thumb. I nodded. That was his cue in the script to lead me to the back. If the camera wasn't on us, I'm pretty sure we would have run back there. We walked into the little room and as soon as Cody shut the door, I attacked him. I pressed him back against the door. His mouth was like fire against mine. He pulled away to kiss down the side of my throat. "We need to give them the shirt, princess." He whispered. I nodded and stepped back.

"I need help with the zipper." I gave him my back. I swept my hair over my shoulder. He started laying kisses across my bare shoulders as he slowly started sliding the zipper down. He gripped the bottom of the shirt. I lifted my arms so he could pull it over my head. He spun me around and jerked me against his body. "Can you feel how bad I want you, Em?" He asked, backing us up to the door.

"Yes, Cody. Let's be quick." I snuck my hand up the back of his shirt knowing the camera might see that.

"Ready?" He asked. I nodded. He dropped his head to kiss at my neck as he pulled open the door.

What the camera saw was Ted standing outside the door with that Legacy smirk on his face. The door opened just a bit and Cody's arm popped out holding the shirt. The camera couldn't see anything but shadows but it did pick up my naughty (real) giggle. Then the door slammed shut.

As soon as the door shut, Cody locked it. We stepped apart as he yanked his shirt over his head and fished through his wallet till he found the condom he was looking for. He grinned at me. I backed up till my butt came up against the work table. I grabbed the bottom of my skirt and worked it up above my hips. Because of its tightness, it stayed. I leaned back and hopped up to sit on the table. I shot Cody a wicked smile and crooked my finger at him.

He was in front of me in a second. He placed his hands on my knees, stroking softly. He pushed them apart enough so that he could step in between them. He cupped the back of them and used them to pull me against his very ready body. I wrapped my hands around the side of his neck and pulled him to kiss me. I slid my hands down his chest to start to undo his belt and then his pants. I slipped my hands inside and shoved both them and his boxers to the floor.

Cody's hands were far from idle. He had already worked my panties down off my hips. He moved so that I could get them off completely. He took that time to roll on the condom. In the next instant, he moved back between my thighs, yanked my hips to the edge of the edge of the table and drove into me. I had to bite my lip to keep the scream of pleasure from escaping.

"I know Em. Me too." He whispered by my ear. "We gotta be quick." I nodded. I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and leaned back on my other hand, angling my body towards his as he started to move. My head fell back of its own accord as Cody leaned in, flattening his hand near my own on the table and kissed down the front of my neck.

We were trying our damnedest to be quiet but I knew the sound guy picked up a few of the moans, groans and sighs we let escape. I brushed it off. Just better for the supposed illusion.

I bit my lip again, nearly drawing blood this time, as my release blasted through me. Cody buried his face against the side of throat, smothering his groan of pleasure as he found his own. He lifted his head and I kissed him softly.

"That was so incredibly hot." I said, kissing him again as he smiled at me.

"Yeah, princess. That was amazing."

Just moments after Cody got his clothes back on and got rid of the evidence, Ted pounded on the door, signaling to us that our scene was over. Ted yelled through the door, 'Rhodes! Come on! We gotta go.' Cody leaned in and kissed me quickly. He whispered 'I love you' and walked out of the room for the last effect of our scene. He walked out, again, with that Legacy smirk, leading the audience to believe that he just nailed the shop girl.

I changed back into my clothes quickly and waited for someone to tell me I could come out. A minute or two later, Jessica came in and told me that shooting was done. I snuck out, still wearing the heels, Jessica was none the wiser. I walked over to where Fallon, Randy, Ted and Cody were standing over the director's shoulder. They were watching some of the playbacks from what we had just shot.

I walked up in time to see them jumping back to a shot of the door where Cody and I were hold up. You could hear some obvious noises coming from the room. Fallon shot a look at me. I ignored it. It jumped back to Randy, Fallon and Ted standing outside of the dressing room. Fallon was now wearing the shirt I started out in. They talked about how much better Fal looked. Randy then told Ted to get Cody, they were ready to leave.

It jumped back to the room in time to hear me tell Cody how hot it was. Randy glared at Cody when he called me princess. That meant he knew about the rumors. He kept glaring at him as we finished watching the rest of the scene.

Fallon got called away for a second, leaving me standing there with the boys. Randy got in Cody's face. "Don't you ever use that name again around Emery. I don't even want you to pretend that she would be one of your conquests." Randy was pissed on my behalf, thinking that Cody was treating me like one of his imaginary one night stands. Cody laughed at him and sneered at me.

"Please Orton. Like she would even qualify." Cody said and walked off. Randy and Ted followed after him right when Fallon came back. She hooked her arm through mine as we headed out behind them.

"So, what exactly happened in that closet, Em?" I fought the blush that was trying to work its way up my neck.

"What are you talking about? I was in there with Rhodes for God's sake. Eww!" I asked, trying to fake her out.

"That sounded kinda real in there Emery." I just smiled at her as I stepped away from her and shrugged.

"I guess I'm just that amazing of an actress."

**I would really appreciate if you keep the reviews coming. Please take a couple of seconds and let me know how I'm doing. Just a tip, the more reviews I get the quicker I'll post the next chapter. Thanks! =^.^=**


	6. Chapter 6

**I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to AngelsDestiny22, psion53, adb226, KimmieCena, Randy4rkocenahardy, ElleEnein, Sarah A and Xandman216. You guys rock! \m/ (^.^) \m/ Here is chapter 6. Enjoy!**

Finally, Cody and I had found some time alone together at the arena. Cody was lounged back in the corner of the couch with me sitting in his lap. My back was against his chest. He lifted my left hand in front of us, stroking my fingers.

"But what if I want to keep my last name?" I asked him. He chuckled softly.

"You could always hyphenate it."

"Really? Emery Harper-Runnels? Don't you think that's kind of long?" He swept the hair away from the side of my neck.

"No. I like it." He pressed a soft kiss against the side of my throat. "I like Emery Runnels better." Another kiss.

"I think our kids would do better with my last name. Not as much pressure to go into the business that way." I said leaning my head back against his shoulder as his kisses continued.

"Doesn't matter. Our kids will make their ring name 'Rhodes' when they break in anyway." He intertwined our fingers and wrapped my arm around my waist, pulling me closer. "I don't care what name my kids have, just as long as I have them with you, princess." I smiled and wiggled in his lap till I was facing him.

"Awe. That was incredibly cheesy. But I'm with you, Cody. I don't care what name they have. But I think you're right, they should have their Daddy's name." He smiled and kissed me, cupping the back of my neck, holding me close. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, softly stroking the back of his neck.

"But you do love my cheesiness, princess." I laughed quietly.

"I do, sugar. Your my cheesy," I kissed him, "sexy," another kiss, "nerd." He made me laugh out loud as he sat up on his knees and dropped me back on the couch.

"I'll show you a nerd." He said against the side of my neck as he nibbled along it while he tickled my ribs. I laughed and tried to wiggle away till I was gasping for air and begging him to stop.

"Cody...please...stop." His hands stilled. He grinned down at me. He dipped his head, kissing me as a knock sounded at the door.

"Rhodes, we need you at the gorilla in 15." The staffer told him through the door.

"Alright. On my way." Cody sat back and stood up, pulling me with him. "Come kiss me goodbye." He walked backwards towards, grinning like a fool the whole time. He opened the door and looked out and down both sides of the hall. "Empty." He pulled me against him in the open doorway. My arms went around to his back, under his cut-up Legacy t-shirt, rubbing softly. "Kiss me for luck?" He said quietly. I nodded. I stood up on my toes and kissed him. I started to deepen the kiss but Cody reluctantly pulled back. "Don't tease me with things I can't have till later." He gave me one quick peck. "Love you princess." I smiled as I watched him walk away down the hall. I shut the door behind me, completely unaware that someone saw everything that just happened between Cody and I.

I flipped on the monitor in the room to watch the short match. I sat back down on the couch to work on the boy's schedule for the next couple of weeks. They had three appearances and five shows before we had a day off. But better than just one day, we had three days off, in a row. Instead of going home, like we normally would, Cody and I were going to stay with Ted and Rebecca. She still didn't believe Ted that Cody and I were together. She said that she needed to see for herself.

I was just about to boot up my laptop when there was another knock on the door. I sat my laptop down and made my way to the door. My mouth dropped open at who was on the other side.

"Mike? What are you doing here?" I hadn't seen or spoken to Mike since the night of the after party almost three weeks ago. He ducked his head.

"Emery. You mind if I come in for a second?' He wouldn't look at me. I didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"Umm...I guess. Just for a few minutes." I stepped back and let him walk in. He turned to face me.

"Look Em...I want to apologize for what happened at the party. I was more than halfway drunk and I said and did some shit that I probably shouldn't have. I'm sorry." I smiled softly as I stepped up and rubbed his arm.

"It's cool Mike. I understand. You did scare the crap out of me though." He grinned back.

"I'm sure. Sorry about that." He opened his arms. "Forgive me?" I nodded and stepped towards him, instantly wrapped in his hug.

"Of course I do." I rubbed his back softly as I laid my cheek against his chest. It felt nice, like a good hug, but I still liked the feel of Cody's arms around me better. I smiled against his shirt, thinking about it.

"I like this too, Em." Mike whispered in my hair. My back went stiff as he said that. I pulled back a little.

"What are you talking about Mike?" He smiled down at me.

"I like being here with you." I could tell by the look on his face, he didn't mean as friends. I stepped back away from him but he grabbed my wrist, keeping me closer than I wanted to be.

"Mike, I still have a boyfriend."

"I know _all_ about him." I was taken aback at his tone. What did that mean?

"I really love him and I plan on staying with him." He smiled again.

"No, you don't." I tried to pull my hand away but he wouldn't let me. "You need to know what else is out there for you, Emery." I tried to remain calm and think quickly. I needed to get Mike out of here before Cody came back.

"You need to listen to me. I love Garrett more than anything and I plan on staying with him for a _long_ time."

"I know about him but..." he pulled me against him, "that doesn't change how _I_ feel about you." I laid a hand flat on his chest, trying to push him back a step or two...or ten. He didn't move an inch.

"You and I are just friends, Mike." I heard a noise outside of the door and thought for a millisecond about yelling to whoever it was.

"We don't have to be, Em." He dropped his head to try and kiss me. I kept trying, desperately, to push him back. I turned my head to the side like I had done before. His lips brushed across the skin of my cheek as the door flew open.

"What the hell is going on?" I closed my eyes at the angry sound of Cody's voice. Mike let me step back but he didn't let go of my wrist. I turned to see Cody's eyes dart to Mike's hand, my face and then back to Mike's face. He was beyond pissed. Thank God Ted was here with him.

"This is none of your business Rhodes. This is between me and Emery." Mike squeezed my wrist. "Tell him, Em."

"I'll tell you what's my business." Cody growled quietly as he took a step towards us. I held my hands up just Ted grabbed his shoulder.

"Everything's okay, Rhodes." I was trying and failing at keeping my voice steady. "He was just leaving." I looked over at him. "Right Mike?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Is that what you really want Emery?" I nodded.

"I think its best." He slowly let my wrist go. Cody was pulled out of the doorway by Ted so that Mike could leave. Just as he was about to pass, Cody grabbed his arm and spun him around and stepped up in his face.

"I know damn well you remember what I told you before. Stay the hell away from Emery or you're done." Mike smirked at him.

"Why do you even care Rhodes? You two don't even like each other." I saw the muscle in Cody's jaw twitch as he clinched it tight.

"She's _my_ fuckin'...assistant. You stay the hell away from her!" He shoved Mike's arm away and stomped off into the bathroom. Mike turned back to me and smiled again.

"See ya around, Emery." He let the door shut quietly behind him. Ted locked the door the door and then turned to look at me. He shook his head.

"Holy shit, Em. You better go talk to him. He's gonna get you two caught acting stupid like that." I unconsciously rubbed my sore wrist and nodded.

"Yeah. I know. I'll talk to him." I stepped into the shower area to find Cody doing his pacing thing, back and forth, back and forth. "Cody?" I said quietly. His head snapped up.

"What the fuck was he doing in here, Emery?" He yelled. I jumped as his voice bounced off the tiles and echoed around the room. I looked down at the floor by my feet, hiding the tears that started to fall. Cody had never yelled at me before. I rubbed at my wrist again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know he was going to do that again. He said he wanted to apologize for what happened before."

"Why the hell would you fall for that shit?" My head snapped up this time, not caring if he saw me crying but he was turned away from me.

"Because he used to be my friend, Cody! Was I just supposed to tell him to fuck off cause he wanted to say he was sorry?" I yelled back. Cody spun back around to face me.

"Yes! How the hell..." He stopped mid-sentence just looking at me. "Why are you rubbing your wrist like that?" I slowly put both of my hands behind my back.

"Because it hurts. Why else would I rub it?" The look on his face instantly melted into concern. He walked over to me.

"Let me see." He said quietly. I shook my head.

"No, its okay." He lifted a hand and cupped my face, softly rubbing my cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Emmy. Just seeing him messing with you made me mad beyond belief. I didn't mean to direct it at you, princess." He kissed my forehead. "Please...let me see your wrist. I just want to make sure your okay." I nodded this time. I pulled my hands from behind my back and gave him my left wrist, the one Mike had been holding. I saw Cody clinch his jaw tight again at the slight bruise that was forming around the whole thing. "Did _I_do this earlier?" I shook my head 'no'. He took a deep breath, trying to tamp down his anger. "I'm telling you now Em, if I see him touch you with out your permission again, I'm gonna beat the shit out of him. It's long overdue." I pulled my wrist out of his hand and wrapped my arms around him. I fisted my hands in the back part of his shirt, holding him close.

"I don't want you to get in trouble, Cody. Please don't do anything that's gonna mess up your career. I'm not worth something like that." I said quietly against his chest. He gently pushed me back a step.

"Emery, princess, you're worth everything to me." He kissed me. "I'd do anything for you." He kissed me again. He let me go and took my hand. "Let's go back to hotel and relax for the rest of the night. Just put this behind us and forget about it." He kissed the back of my hand. "Okay, princess?" I smiled up at him and nodded.

"Okay."

A few hours later, the three of us were in Cody and Ted's room, watching the end of some movie. Ted was laid out on his bed, while Cody and I were cuddled up on his. I had made a stop by the room I was sharing with Gail tonight and changed into my sleep shorts and a tank top. Cody had taken a shower while I was gone so he just had on a pair of basketball shorts. He had propped himself up against the headboard and I was lying curled up next to him with my cheek resting on his naked chest. He had an arm wrapped around my shoulders. He was softly dragging his fingertips up and down the bare skin of my upper arm. I sighed deeply as my eyes fluttered shut. I was so content and peaceful, I was almost asleep.

I jumped at the sound of my phone beeping on the nightstand. The beep signaled that I had a new text message. Cody just grabbed my phone and handed it to me. I yawned as I laid my hand on his chest near my face so I could see the phone as I pulled up the message. One message popped up from an unavailable number. I sat straight up as I read the message.

_'__I __know __about __Rhodes.__'_

Cody's hand had slipped to my lower back when I sat up. He slid his fingertips under the bottom of my tank top and softly stroked my skin. "What's wrong Em?" He must have been able to sense the sudden tension in me. A thousand thoughts were running through my head. Number one was whether or not to tell Cody. I decided on that one quickly.

"Nothing. Just got a message from Gail wondering where I am." I leaned in and kissed him. "I gotta go sugar." Before I could move, he snuck his other hand around the back of my neck, pulling me back in for another kiss.

"Don't go. Just crash here tonight, princess." I rubbed a hand softly up and down his chest.

"I want to Code." I thought quickly. "But you know how Gail is." He kissed me again.

"Blow her off Em. Tell her you slept on the couch." I smiled at him.

"We both know that no one would believe that I didn't sleep with Ted and that'll be all over the place by this time tomorrow." He cocked an eyebrow at me, not buying my story at all.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I nodded and smiled.

"I'm fine, Cody." I kissed him one last time and climbed out of the bed. "I'll see you guys bright and early in the morning." They both called out a 'good night', pulling the door shut behind me. I made my way back to my quiet, empty room. Gail had gone out with some of the girls to a late dinner. I hated lying to Cody but I didn't want him to be upset again. He had been so mad earlier. I didn't want him to stress out over some stupid text. I sat down on the foot of my bed and sent a text back to the number.

_'__Who __is __this?__' _I waited for a couple of minutes and finally got one back.

_'__...__' _Was all the text said. Great. I climbed into bed and dialed Cody's number. He answered on the second ring.

_"__What__'__s __wrong __Emmy?__" _I smiled at his answer.

"Nothing. I just wanted to hear your voice Cody. I wanted it to be the last thing I heard before I went to sleep." I knew he was smiling like a goofball on his end.

_"__Really? __Where__'__s __Gail?__"_

"In the shower." Again with the lying. Damn it. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you." He chuckled softly.

_"__I __love __you __too, __princess. __More __than __you __know.__"_ Now it was my turn to smile.

"Night Cody."

_"__Night __Em.__"_ I settled down in the bed after we hung up. I closed my eyes, trying to relax. My phone beeped again with a text. I smiled, knowing it was probably from Cody. The smile faded when I saw that it was the exact same message as before.

_'__I __know __about __Rhodes.__' _There went my chance at sleep.

The next few days held more of the same. The messages were always the same. _'__I __know __about __Rhodes.__'_ or _'__I __saw __you __and __Cody.__'_ I tried to ignore them. Every time one would come, I'd just delete it. Today, I was sitting off to the side at the first signing of the week. We were just outside of one of those music/movie stores in the local mall. The line was crazy. For heels, they had pulled a great crowd. I was sitting about ten feet away. Close enough that if either of them needed me. I was close by, but far enough away that I didn't mess up any of the fan's pictures. This was one of my favorite parts of the job. I loved watching them interact with their fans. Neither of them held on to their in-ring persona and it was endearing.

I smiled at Ted as he turned to me and made a motion like drinking, letting me know he needed some water. I held up two fingers asking if Cody needed some too. He nudged him and asked. Cody turned to face me, grinned and nodded. I made the okay sign and headed over to the store. I waded through the people till I got to the back room. I knocked and was let in by the manager. I retrieved the water and headed back out. I walked around and stepped up behind the mini stage that they had set up for them. I reached between the bars on the back of the stage and tapped the side of Cody's thigh. He looked down. I slipped the bottles of water between the bars. He grinned down at me taking both.

"Thanks Em." I nodded a welcome.

"You guys need anything else?"

"Yeah," Ted glanced down at me, "can you tell them to turn on some music or something?" I nodded again.

"I'll see what I can do." Again, I waded through the people and got them some music. I finally made it back to my seat. I hadn't been sitting down two seconds when my phone buzzed.

I pulled up the message from the once again, unavailable number. It was the now familiar message, _'__I __know __about __you __and __Cody.__'_ But this time the message came with a picture. I hit the button to pull it up. A few seconds later, I nearly passed out at what I saw.

The picture was of Cody and me. I was leaned back against our rental car and he was leaned in kissing me. It was obvious to anyone looking at the picture that it was the two of us. There was no way we could deny it. I nearly started to cry as I realized that this picture had been taken late last night. We were arriving at the hotel. The part that scared me the most was that the parking deck was pretty much empty. There had been maybe 15 cars in the whole deck. Where had this person hidden to take this picture?

I let out a little scream and dropped my phone when the hand touched my shoulder. I looked up to see Tom, the store manager standing there.

"Ms. Harper? Are you okay?" I leaned down and picked up my phone and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Did you need something?" He shook his head.

"Not really. I just came out to check on things. But it seems as though Mr. Rhodes is trying to get your attention." I looked over to where Cody was watching me intently. I gave him a weak smile and made my way over.

"You guys okay?" You need anything?" I fought to keep the shaking out of my voice. Cody turned in his seat and leaned down.

"What's wrong, Em?" I reached through the bars to rub his calf slightly.

"Nothing Cody. I'm fine." He laid his hand over mine.

"Are you sure? I heard that scream when that guy touched you." I smiled.

"I promise, I'm fine. He just startled me. Now get back to your signing. There are still a lot of fans that want to meet you." He nodded and turned back around. Instead of going back to my seat, I stayed standing for the next two hours, right behind Cody's seat. At least I could be close to him. I felt safer that way.

I only got one more text that day. It just said, _'__I __told __you __I __knew.__'_

Finally our three in a row days came. Rebecca wasn't as surprised as she had said before. She really just wanted us to come stay for a few days. She told us that she had noticed how we snuck glances at each other. She smiled at the shocked look on our faces when she reveled that she had seen us kissing in the car a couple of months ago but didn't say anything. She figured that if we wanted her to know, we would tell her.

The messages never really stopped. I mostly got texts but I had gotten one more picture. It was similar to the one from before. It was just Cody and I but he was driving this time and I was leaned against his shoulder.

I was still hiding it from Cody. He suspected that something was bothering me but he didn't push it. Luckily, in the last day, I hadn't gotten one message. I was finally started to relax again. Earlier, before dawn, I woke up before Cody did and quietly checked my phone. When I found no messages, I rolled back over and woke Cody up in his, well our favorite way.

Cody and I were sitting on the couch in the den while Ted and Rebecca made us dinner. We were enjoying our last few hours of relaxation. Our flight left early the next afternoon. Cody softly rubbed my calf where it was draped across his lap. I was laid back on the couch looking through some trash magazine while Cody flipped through the channels.

"We have to look into getting one of these satellites when we're home next time, princess." I laid my magazine down on my chest so that I could look at him.

"What's wrong with the cable we have now?" He smiled over at me.

"Have you seen all the channels this thing has? I could sit here for hours, just flipping." I sat up as my phone buzzed in my pocket.

"That's how you want to spend our rare precious at home time? Flipping through channels?" His smiled got wicked.

"Never mind. The cable we have is fine." I poked him in the arm.

"Thought so." I pulled up the new message. Damn it. That stupid unavailable number again.

_'__I __know __all __about __Rhodes.__' _I was so tired of this. I needed answers, tonight.

'I want you to leave us alone! Who the hell is this?' Not 10 seconds later, I got a reply.

_'I __think __you __know __who __this __is...princess.__'_ I felt a cold chill run down back at Cody's favored nickname for me. Before I could reply again, another message popped up. Another picture. This one was of Cody and I walking hand and hand in front of Ted up on to his porch, at his and Rebecca's home. I tensed up, drawing Cody's attention.

"What's wrong, Em?" He rubbed my knee. I plastered on a fake smile.

"Nothing." I kissed his cheek. "Nothing's wrong." The phone buzzed again.

_'__It __seems __that __I__'__m __not __the __only __one __that __knows.__' _Oh hell! Now he had Ted involved. I swung my legs out of Cody's lap. I needed this to be over before anyone else got involved.

'Why are you doing this?' I asked. Seconds later I got my reply.

_'__I __want __what __should __be __mine.__' _This couldn't be good.

'What do you mean?' I was afraid of what the answer was going to be. I nearly dropped the phone when it buzzed again. Cody sat up beside me.

"Emery?" I turned to look at him, trying to keep my face clear of any of the emotions coursing through me. "What's going on? You're jumpy tonight." I glanced back at the phone and noticed that it was a video message this time.

"I'm okay." I held up my phone and shook it slightly. "I need to step outside okay?" He slipped a hand to the back of my neck. He rubbed my hairline with his thumb. He looked at me, trying to figure out what was going on. I fought to keep my face neutral. He kissed my nose.

"You sure, princess?" I nodded.

"Yeah. I'll be right back." I kissed the side of his chin. I pulled his hand away from my neck and kissed his palm. I stood up and headed out the front door to the porch. The front light was on but most of the porch was shrouded in darkness. I stepped away from the front door and pulled up the last text.

_'__This __should __be __mine.__' _I clicked on the video. It was a 45 second clip. At first it was the outside of a slightly open window. Then I heard the moan. Oh my God! The inside of the room came in focus. It was the bedroom that Cody and I had shared the night before. The moan...was mine. Cody and I were wrapped up in each other in the center of the bed. There was a few more seconds of Cody and I making love, then the video went black. My hands were shaking so bad I could barely type.

'Why are you doing this?' I stepped further away from the front door, just pacing.

_'__That __should __be __me __Emery.__' _Before I could answer, another message popped up. _'__Don__'__t __move __away __from __the __light. __I __can__'__t __see __you __then.__' _I froze mid-step. He was watching me. I was nervous and jumpy before but now I was scared.

'You're watching me?' I asked, so not wanting the answer, but already knowing it. I walked over to one of the corners of the porch that was incredibly dark. I jumped again when the phone buzzed.

_'__The __green __shirt __you__'__re __wearing __really __hugs __your __body __nice. __But __I __like __what __you __were __had __on __last __night __better.__' _I started to cry in fear as I realized that he was sitting out there in the dark, where I couldn't see, watching me. I was bordering on being terrified.

'Tell me who you are!' I demanded. I screamed as my phone started to ring. Out of instinct, I dropped down to sit against the house. I pulled one of the rocking chairs in front of me. I looked at the number. Unavailable. My hands were shaking as I answered, pulling my knees to my chest.

"Hello?" I could hear the tears and fear in my own voice.

_"__Emery, __who __did __you __expect __it __to __be?__" _I sucked in an audible, terrified breath when I recognized the voice.

"Mike?" He laughed, confirming. "Why are you doing this? I thought we were friends."

_"__And __I __thought __you __hated __Rhodes. __Who __knew, __all __this __time, __you __were __really __fuckin__' __him?__"_

"What do you want?" I heard a car door shut on his end and echo somewhere close by.

_"__I __want __you, __Emery. __I__'__m __coming __for __you __now.__"_

"No, Mike. Don't do this."

_"__If __you __don__'__t __come __with __me, __I__'__ll __take __Rhodes __down, __ruin __his __career __and __take __you __with __me __anyway. __Your __choice __Emery.__" _I could hear him walking.

"No! Please..." I didn't realize I had yelled until all the lights on the porch came on. I curled into a ball, trying to hide further.

"Emery?" I heard Cody's voice call out to me. Mike's footsteps stopped.

_"__Your __savior __is __looking __for __you, __Emery. __I __knew __something __was __up __when __he __came __to __your __defense __at __the __party.__" _Cody called out to me again and I heard him walking quickly towards me. _"__I__'__ll __see __you __at __RAW __tomorrow. __I__'__ll __expect __my __answer __then. __Or __Rhodes __is __done.__"_ I didn't even register the phone hanging up.

"No! No don't..." I screamed out again as the rocking chair moved.

"Emery? Princess? What's going on? Are you okay?" Cody knelt in front of me. I shook my head and launched myself at him, dropping my phone to the deck in the process. I buried myself against his chest, trying to hide and seek the comfort I needed. He ran a hand down the back of my head and rubbed my back, attempting to calm down my crying. He sat on the porch and let me climb into his lap. He rocked me back and forth gently. "It's okay, princess. I'm here." He whispered softly. After a moment, he spoke again. "Who was on the phone, Emmy?" I looked up at him, tears still rolling down my cheeks.

"Promise you won't get mad at me?" He kissed my forehead.

"No, Em. I won't get mad at you. Never Emmy." I started from the first text and told him all of it. About each picture, which I showed him and then about the video, which I also showed him. With each thing I told him and showed him, I felt the tension and anger building up in him. He was practically vibrating with it by the time the video was done. Cody was beyond angry. Neither of us heard or noticed that Ted and Rebecca had followed Cody outside and had heard and seen everything. He took a deep breath. "Did you recognize the voice?" I started to cry a little harder.

"Yes, Cody. But..." He cupped both my cheeks, making me look at him.

"Who was it, princess?" I shook my head.

"Cody..." He closed his eyes and took another deep breath.

"Please, Em...tell me." He said quietly. My breath hitched a couple of times before I could speak.

"It was Mike." I heard Ted mutter something that sounded a lot like 'fuck'. Cody went absolutely still. He then dropped his hands from my face and slid me off his lap. I reached for him.

"Cody?"

"Are you sure it was him?" I nodded. "Where is he?"

"I don't know but he's close by. He said he could see me." Cody stood up and headed for the steps to the porch. "No. Cody, he's watching us." Ted stepped out to stop him.

"Come on man. Think for a second..." Cody shrugged off his hand and kept going. He walked down the steps and about ten steps out into the yard. He lifted his arms from his side and called Mike out.

"Come on Mizanin. I know you your fuckin' watching asshole. Bring your ass out here. You think you can just fuck with Emery like that and get away with it? Come say that shit to me. Come threaten me." Cody was yelling into Ted and Rebecca's empty dark yard. He kept yelling anything and everything in an attempt to get Mike to show himself. I had followed him out into the yard, along with Ted. I stepped up to a still yelling Cody and touched his arm.

"Cody, please..." He jerked his arm back, throwing my hand off and making me take a few steps back away from him. I wrapped my arms around myself and cried as I watched Cody keep yelling into the night.

Out of nowhere, Ted stepped around me and headed towards him. I jumped as Rebecca wrapped an arm around my shoulders. She was trying to comfort me in her own way.

Ted stepped up to Cody and shoved his shoulder.

"Man, you need to stop. He's not coming." Cody turned and glared at him, shoving him back away from him.

"Back the fuck off Ted. This doesn't concern you. He's gonna show." He turned back to the yard. "Aren't you asshole?" He yelled. I tried and failed to hold in the sob. Ted didn't back down. He walked in front of Cody and grabbed his shirt in both fists. He, again, shoved Cody. He tripped over his unsuspecting feet. Ted let him go as he fell to his back in the grass. Cody sat up.

"What in the..." Ted cut him off.

"You need to shut the hell up! Mike ain't comin'. All you're doing is making our neighbors want to call the cops and scaring the shit out of Emery." I shrugged out of Rebecca's arms and walked over to Cody. I dropped to my knees beside him. He was staring holes into Ted and didn't look at me as I said his name. I placed a hand on each of his cheeks, much like he had done with me earlier. I physically turned his face to make him look at me. The eyes that connected with my still crying ones were still filled with anger.

"Cody, please stop sugar." I sobbed. "I need you with me, not in jail. Please Cody, please." I begged. I saw the moment the light went on. His arms instantly enveloped me, crushing me against him. I pressed my face against his neck as I kept sobbing in his embrace. He kissed my temple as he rocked me again.

"I'm sorry, princess. I'm so sorry." He kissed my temple again. "I'm gonna make this right, Emmy. I promise. I'm gonna make this right."

**I ****would ****really ****appreciate ****if ****you ****keep ****the ****reviews ****coming. ****Please ****take ****a ****couple ****of ****seconds ****and ****let ****me ****know ****how ****I'm ****doing. ****Just ****a ****tip, ****the ****more ****reviews ****I ****get, ****the ****quicker ****I'll ****post ****the ****next ****chapter. ****Thanks! ****=^.^=**


	7. Chapter 7

**You guys are freaking AMAZING! I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to AngelsDestiny22, psion53, adb226, KimmieCena, Randy4rkocenahardy, ElleEnein, Sarah A, Xandman216, WrestlingInLouboutines, xXxFloridaGirlRKOxXx and .. You guys rock! \m/ (^.^) \m/ Here is chapter 7. Enjoy!**

The car ride from the airport to the arena was silent. None of us knew what to say. All I could hope was that Mike stayed in his locker room. I was going to wait until Cody and Ted went to film their cut scene with Randy and Fallon and then I was going to see Mike. I didn't know what I was going to say to him but I was going to try to convince him to leave Cody alone.

Cody squeezed my hand as the three of us pulled up into the parking lot under the arena. I tried to smile at him. It was nothing like my usual smile. He leaned in and kissed me, softly stroking my cheek.

We got our stuff out of the trunk and made our way into the arena, again in silence. I noticed as we walked in that Cody and Ted were taking up protective positions around me. I looked back and forth between them. They were completely oblivious to the fact that I knew about the conversation that the two of them had earlier this morning.

_Cody __rolled __out __of __the __bed __as __quietly __as __possible. __He __must __have __assumed __that __I __was __asleep. __What __he __didn__'__t __know __was __that, __with __the __way __I __was __clinging __to __him __all __night, __I __knew __the __moment __he __moved. __I __let __him __get __to __the __door __and __close __it __silently __behind __him __before __I __got __out __of __the __bed __and __followed __him._

_He walked down the hall to the den. I hid myself in the darkened doorway as I watched him pace between the TV and the couch. When he had gotten out of bed, he threw his jeans on but nothing else. If I hadn't been so worried about him in that moment, I would have noticed how delicious he looked with the moonlight playing across his naked chest as he ran his hand roughly through his hair._

_"Cody? Man, what are you doing up?" Both Cody and I jumped at the sound of Ted's voice as he walked into the den from the doorway across from mine and off from the kitchen._

_"Damn Ted. You scared the crap outta me, man." Cody muttered._

_"What are you doing up?" Ted asked, repeating his question._

_"I couldn't sleep." Ted shook his head._

_"Where's Emery?" Cody sighed and ran his hand through his hair again._

_"She finally fell asleep. I left her sleeping in our room." I saw him clinch his fists as the nerve in his jaw ticked. "I did shut the curtains first." He picked up his pacing again. Ted sat down on the arm of the couch. Both Ted and I knew, when something was upsetting or bothering Cody, if you just gave him a minute, he would let it all out. Not two second later, he went off._

_"How the hell did he think he was gonna get away with this? Did he think I wouldn't notice if Em just up and left me one day?" Ted opened his mouth to answer but Cody never gave him the chance. "I can't believe he had the balls to mess with her and threaten her after I warned him to leave her alone. Next time I see that asshole, he's dead. I'm gonna beat the living hell out of him till he doesn't even remember Emery's name." Cody had worked himself up so much that he was talking through gritted teeth and his fists hanging at his sides were literally vibrating with anger. Ted finally spoke up, holding up his hands, trying to defuse some of Cody's anger._

_"Whoa man. You gotta calm down and think about what you're saying. What are you gonna accomplish by hurting Mike?"_

_"He's gonna believe me when I told him that he should have stayed away from Emery." Ted nodded._

_"Okay. Speaking of her, what about Emery?" Cody turned and looked at Ted._

_"What about her? None of this is her fault. She doesn't need to be in the middle of this."_

_"__Yeah, __I __agree __but __the __thing __is __Code, __she _IS _the __middle __of __this. __Em __is __the __reason __you __want __to __hurt __him __right __now.__"__ Cody __didn__'__t __say __any thing __as __he __let __that __sink __in. __Ted __kept __going.__ "__What__'__s __gonna __happen __when __you __confront __Mike __and __force __him __to __show __his __hand?__ How __are __you __gonna __face __Emery __when __she __loses __her __job __because __you __pushed __him __in to __telling __on __you __two?__" __Cody __sighed __deeply __in __defeat. __He __knew __Ted __had __a __point. __He __sank __down __in to __the __armchair __across __from __Ted._

_"I can't let her lose her job, Ted." He sighed again and leaned back in the chair. "But I can't let him think that he got away with terrorizing her." He shook his head, trying to keep from getting angry again._

_"Cody, man, you and I both know that somehow this is gonna come back around and bite him in the ass. He'll get what's coming to him."_

_"I know." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Till then," he looked over at Ted, "we try and keep that dick as far away from Emery as we can?" Ted nodded._

_"Yeah. You know how I feel about Emery. I got your back."_

I followed Ted into the locker room with Cody close behind. We were at the arena very early so Fallon and Randy hadn't gotten there yet and probably wouldn't be there for another couple of hours.

As per their normal rituals, both Cody and Ted changed into their ring gear. Cody didn't talk much as he changed and sat down beside me to lace up his boots. I could tell by his posture and tense sharp movements that he was still angry about everything. No matter how many times he told me, I still couldn't help but feel like I had brought this on us. It was still my fault.

I laid my hand on Cody's bare knee. At the touch of my hand, he stopped what he was doing to look up at me. I tried to give him a reassuring smile, telling him everything was fine and I was still sorry. I failed. Miserably. He dropped the laces of his boots to cup my face in both of his hands. Mine came up to circle his wrists, holding him in place. He smiled softly at me and kissed me. He pulled back just enough to kiss my forehead.

I let go of his wrists and wrapped my arms around him, laying my cheek against his shirtless chest. I closed my eyes as he let his hands slide down to the small of my back, keeping me close. I took a deep breath, relaxing a bit at the scent of the familiar soap that still clung to his warm skin. I felt Cody lay his cheek against the top of my head.

"I'm not gonna let him get away with this, princess. I promise. I'll figure out a way to keep him away from you." He whispered. I just nodded and leaned back, letting him kiss me again. He gave me that soft smile again and went back to lacing his boots. He stood up and pulled his t-shirt over his head as Ted walked back into the room. "Hey, man, are you staying in here?" Cody asked him. Ted nodded.

"Yeah. Why?" Ted plopped down beside me.

"I need to take a walk. Clear my head before the show starts. While it's still quiet." I stood up.

"Want me to go with you?" I asked quietly. He grinned and wrapped a hand around the back of my neck. He pulled me against him and kissed me. I laid my hands against his chest as he held me in place.

"Not this time, princess." He kissed my cheek near my ear. "I need to clear my head, not think about sneaking you into some dark corner and having my way with you." He whispered against the curve of my ear. I shivered slightly. Not only at his words but at the feel of his hot breath dancing across my skin. He pressed a gentle kiss to my ear and let me go. "I won't be gone long. 10 minutes at the most."

"Alright Code." Ted said as I sat down next to him. "We'll be right here." Cody smiled at me as he shut the door behind him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Cody's POV

I let out a deep sigh as the door clicked closed behind me. I needed to focus. If I kept letting this shit with Mike fester inside of me tonight, more than likely I was gonna screw up a move and hurt myself or accidentally hurt someone else. I couldn't have that. Not only for myself but for Emery too. She was depending on me to keep her safe and take care of her. I couldn't and didn't want to let her down.

I started to walk down the dead quiet halls. Barely anyone was here yet, mostly just the crew. I turned the corner and stopped short when I heard a door come open. It was so quiet backstage that the noise semi-startled me, causing me to stop. I stayed rooted to my spot as the one person I needed to stay away from walked out.

Mike was looking down at his phone, completely oblivious to the fact that I was standing not 15 feet away from him. I knew I should turn away and walk the other direction but every second I stood there, looking at that fucking smirking face of his, my anger flooded back through me, doubling with every heartbeat.

He laughed to himself as he flipped through something on his phone. Somehow, through my anger haze, I got a moment of inspiration. That phone. Everything he had to keep torturing Emery was on that phone. I made up my mind. I moved towards Mike with the sole intention of destroying that damn phone. Every step closer just jacked up my anger even more. If the asshole looked at me wrong...it was on.

"Mizanin!" He looked up, surprised, giving me the opportunity to walk up to him and jerk the phone out of his hand. Before he could react, I turned and pitched the phone as hard as I could into the cinderblock wall. The phone shattered on impact, raining pieces of plastic and bits of electronics to the floor. I turned back to him with a satisfied smirk on my face.

"What the fuck Rhodes?" He slammed both his hands flat against my chest and shoved me. "That was my phone you lispy cock sucker! Why the fuck would you do something like that?" I just let his insults towards me roll off my back. I didn't give a shit about this at this point. I couldn't believe he had the nerve to ask me something like that? I laughed at him.

"You know exactly why I did it." I stepped right up to him, getting in his face. "Now try and mess with my Emery again. You're lucky I don't beat your ass right now for what you've already done to her." Mike smirked at me. In that moment, I knew I was about to break my promise.

"Your Emery, huh?" He nodded and stepped back from me. "She sent you to do her dirty work for her, didn't she? Well, tell her no deal. I told her my conditions. She's gonna have to come here herself."

"No way in hell! You're gonna stay the hell away from her." I nearly growled at him. The stupid fucker smirked at me again.

"Really Rhodes? Well, if _your_ Emery doesn't show up, you're done. Then," he stepped back up, getting in my face this time, "I'm gonna be the one your girl runs to when she needs her late night 'fix'. I'll be the one she begs to take her the way a _real_ man should. Give it two weeks and it'll be my name she's screaming while I fuck her into oblivion." With that last comment, I snapped.

I reared back and slammed my fist into the side of his jaw. He stumbled backwards, giving me enough space to take him down.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I picked up Cody's watch from the bench, looking at it again for the hundredth time. Cody had been gone for nearly 20 minutes. This wasn't a good sign. I looked back up at Ted who was doing Cody's pacing thing across the room.

"Teddy?" He looked over at me. "20 minutes." That was all I needed to say.

"I know, Em." He ran his hand over his short hair. "Shit. We better go find him." I nodded and followed him to the door. The moment Ted opened the door, we could hear some kind of commotion.

"What the hell is that?" I asked, suddenly extremely nervous.

"God knows." He headed off in the direction of the noise with me right behind him. We rounded the corner and froze at the scene before us. Cody and Mike were yelling insults back and forth, nearly at the top of their lungs. They were taking turns at shoving and hitting each other.

"Oh my God, Ted." I said quietly.

"Damn it, Cody." Ted said, just as quietly. We knew we had to do something. A couple of the crew members had stopped what they were doing to watch the fight. None of them were stupid enough to step in between two majorly pissed off wrestlers.

When Cody grabbed Mike roughly by his t-shirt and slammed him into the wall, Ted and I decided it was time to step in. We got to the pair just as Chris Jericho came running up from the other side of the hall. Ted grabbed Cody and pried him off of Mike as Chris tried to hold Mike back. They both fought their holds, still screaming vile insults at each other. I stepped up to try and calm Cody down.

"Cody! Please...stop!" I yelled at him with no effect. Cody reached out and grabbed Mike's shirt again. Ted yanked him back.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Stephanie McMahon yelled from down the hall. Both Ted and Cody turned towards the sound of her voice and froze, along with everyone else. Except Mike. He was already mid-swing.

The last thing I saw was Mike's fist coming full speed at my face. I didn't even have a chance to react. I didn't even feel it as I crumbled to the floor.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Oh shit! Emery?" Again, everyone froze at the sound of her body hitting the floor. As if in slow motion, the whole hall turned towards the sight of Emery's lifeless body laying in the floor. Her cheek just below her left eye, already starting to swell up a little.

"You motherfucker!" Ted hissed moments before he shoved a stunned Cody to the side and lunged towards Mike. Thankfully, Chris was a little quicker. He shoved Mike behind him and barely stopped Ted from grabbing him.

"I didn't mean to hit her! I was aiming for Rhodes!" Mike repeated, trying in vain to defend himself.

Everyone was so intent on watching the pending fight between Ted and Mike that no one noticed Cody dropping to the ground beside Emery. He carefully lifted her so that she was halfway lying in his lap.

"Emery? Princess? Come on Emmy, wake up." He mumbled softly to her. He rocked her gently, trying to coax her awake. "Please, princess..."

"Someone get the medic!" Stephanie yelled as she shoved her way over to where Cody and Emery where in the floor. She knelt down beside them. "Cody, honey, I need you to lay her back down." He jerked his head up to look at her. His grip on Emery's shirt visibly tightened. "Andrews can't check her out if you're holding her. Come on." She laid her hands on either side of Emery's head and helped Cody gently lay her back down. Then Stephanie caught a glimpse of her swollen face.

"Mizanin! Go pack your shit and get out of my arena! You got 30 days on the street!" Stephanie yelled.

"What?" Mike stuttered. "Rhodes started this. I didn't even..." Stephanie glared at him.

"I saw YOU hit her. No one else. You. Now go get your gear and get out of my face before I fire you." She stood up as Dr. Andrews came running up. "Cody, you and her are done for tonight. When she comes to, take her back to the hotel. Let me know how she is later on." She turned and went back to her office to write up Mike's suspension papers.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The whole left side of my face was frozen. Sore and frozen. I could vaguely feel something pressing tight against it. I grumbled as I lifted my hand and shoved what felt like a bag of what I assumed was ice, off. I heard it land on whatever I was laying on and then roll off and on to the floor.

I slowly opened my eyes and instantly shut them back, moaning at the brightness of the light. I flopped my forearm over them, blocking out the light. I stopped moving at the sound of something or some things shuffling around. I suddenly got this weird sensation that someone was standing close to me.

I moved my arm and again, slowly opened my eyes. I screamed. Cody and Ted were hovering over me. Both of their faces were about a foot away from my own. The two of them jumped at my scream. Cody took my hand.

"It's okay, princess. It's just us. No one else is here." He raised my hand to his lips, kissing my fingers. I huffed at him.

"Yeah, I can see that." I grabbed Cody's arm and pulled myself up to a sitting position. "I just didn't expect you to be right in my face when I opened my eyes, Code." I looked around. I seemed to be in one of the rooms off of the medic's station. "What are we doing in here?"

"You don't remember?" Ted asked. I shook my head.

"Do you remember anything, princess?" Cody asked. I could hear the worry creeping into his voice. I looked back at him. I finally noticed the smaller bandage above his right eyebrow and the bruise blooming along the edge of his jaw. I lifted my hand to lay it against the bruise. He closed his eyes briefly, leaning into my touch.

"I remember you and Mike fighting. I remember me and Ted trying to calm you down. I heard Stephanie yell and...I...I woke up here." I dropped my hand from Cody's cheek. "How did we get in here?" Cody kissed the hand he was still holding, again.

"I carried you in here." He said quietly against my skin.

"Why?" I saw the nerve jump in Cody's jaw as he clinched his teeth.

"Mike hit you, Em. He knocked you out." Ted said from his seat beside me. I was taken aback by that.

"What? Why would he do that? What happened?" Ted proceeded to tell me everything that happened. From the moment I was hit till I woke up. I was surprised by everything. I had been out for about a half an hour. "He got 30 days?" I asked. Cody nodded.

"He deserved more if you ask me." Cody muttered. "Steph said that you and I are done for the day. You feel up for going back to the hotel now? Just me and you, princess. We'll order room service and relax in front of the TV for the rest of the night, okay?" I smiled softly at him and nodded.

"That sounds perfect."

By the time Cody and I gathered our stuff and made it back to the hotel, the place was empty. Our co-workers were starting to make their way to either to a local gym for a pre-show workout or to the arena itself. The hotel was nice and quiet.

Lucky for me, well for us, I had a single room. It was small with just a double bed but Cody and I could be alone and had no chance of being disturbed.

Cody dropped me and our luggage off in the room and headed back down to the lobby in search of some Tylenol and an ice pack. On his way back, he filled the bag with ice and grabbed us both a bottle of water. Cody made me get in the bed and take two Tylenol for the pain that he was sure that I was in. I turned it around on him and made him get in bed with me and take his own set of Tylenol.

I curled up against Cody's side where he was propped up against the headboard, with my right cheek pressed against his chest as he held the ice pack against my left cheek. He wanted to make sure there was no swelling left by the time we caught our flight in the morning. I held him close to me, so happy that he didn't get hurt more than he did. Cody and I held each other in the comfortable quiet of the room. He softly stroked my hair as I let some thoughts run through my head.

Why would Mike hit me? I thought his whole thing was that he wanted to be with me, get me away from Cody. Which lead to the question as to what Cody was doing there fighting with Mike?

"Cody?"

"Yes, Em?" I leaned up to look in his face.

"Tell me the truth, Code. Did you go looking for Mike?"

"No, I promise you I didn't. I turned the corner and he was standing there on his phone. All I wanted to do was destroy that damn phone. I knew if he could still use that phone, he could keep torturing you. I just wanted him to leave you alone, princess."

"Cody..."

"If he hadn't said what he said about you, I never would have hit him. It's my fault you got hit. I'm sorry, Emmy. I didn't mean for you to get hurt. If I could take it all back, I would have just destroyed his phone and walked back to you. I was just trying to protect you." My heart melted at his words. He willingly got himself hurt, just to defend my honor. As dumb as his actions were, it didn't diminish the thoughts and feelings behind them. If I wasn't completely and utterly in love with Cody, this would have sent me head long into it.

"Cody?" He sighed, thinking I was getting mad at him.

"Yes, Emery?"

"How are you feeling? Are you in pain or hurting anywhere?" He just looked at me, confusion written all over his face. He was wondering why I wasn't getting mad at him. I grinned at him. "Are you?" I asked again. He shook his head.

"No, I'm okay. Nothing hurts."

"Good." I reached up and took the ice pack away from him. I tossed it on the floor beside the bed. "Sugar, will you do something for me?" He nodded.

"Of course, princess. Anything you want." I sat the rest of the way up and moved so that I was sitting astride his lap. I leaned in and kissed him.

"Cody, make love to me." I kissed him again, running my hands up his chest. "Make love to me and help me forget." Kiss. "Help me forget everything he did to us." Kiss. "I just want us to be like we were before." Cody sat up and pulled me close, taking the kiss deeper. He slid his hands up my sides, bringing my t-shirt with it. He pulled it over my head and tossed it away. He sat up on his knees, taking me with him. He let me pull his shirt over his head. He let me go to step off the bed and strip off his jeans. In our haste to leave the arena, Cody never changed out of his trunks. God, he always looks so delicious in his trunks.

I reached for him as he climbed back in the bed. He laid me back on the bed and made slow, erotic work out of removing the remainder of my clothing. I pushed him back on his knees as I sat up. I wedged my hands into the sides of his tight fitted trunks and worked them down his thighs, releasing his hard length. I reached out and gripped him, stroking him softly. He groaned out my name.

"Cody," I whispered as he pressed me back into the pillows. He reached down between us and pulled his trunks the rest of the way off. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close, love the feel of him against me. Hot naked skin against hot naked skin. "I love you so much." He dropped his head and kissed me.

"I love you too, princess. God, do I love you." I arched up to meet his body as he worked himself inside of me. I moaned his name as he kept a torturously slow and easy pace. He rested a forearm by my head so he could cup my cheek to kiss me. His other arm slipped up under my back. He wrapped that hand over the top of my shoulder, keeping me in place as he moved.

I ran my hands up his back, digging my fingertips into his skin, trying to encourage him to move faster or harder. He smiled down at me.

"No need to hurry, Emmy." He kissed me. "We've got the rest of the day and all night." He paused to groan my name as I rocked hard against his hips. He smirked down at me, knowing exactly what I was trying to do. "I'm gonna use every single second to make love to you, princess."

"Mmm...Cody..." I moaned out as he started to move again. We were interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing on the nightstand.

"Let it ring, Emery. They'll call back." He panted. I wanted to agree, but I recognized the ringtone.

"I want to sugar. Ah...I want to. But it's Fallon. Mmm...she's just gonna keep...ah...calling till I answer." I kissed at his jaw as he rocked above me. "Don't move, just pause for a sec. I'll get rid of her." He kissed me.

"Okay, Em." Cody stopped moving but stayed deep inside of me and handed me my phone. I answered quickly, with the intention of telling Fallon I was fine and going to sleep it off and then get back to Cody.

"Hello?" I was surprised at the normal sound of my voice considering the man I loved more than anything was currently kissing the spot below my ear that he knew drove me crazy.

_"__Oh __my __God, __Emery! __Randy __and __I __just __got __here. __Ted __told __us __what __happened. __Why __would __you __try __and __help __break __up __a __fight __between __Cody __and __Mike?__ Thank __God __Mike __got __30 __days. __Randy __might __have __killed __him. __You __know __how __protective __he __is __of __you. __Good __Lord, __Emery. __Are __you __okay?__" _I zoned out on most of her rant as Cody started to nip down the side of my neck.

"Yes, I'm okay." I managed to squeak out.

_"__Are __you __sure, __Em? __You __don__'__t __sound __okay.__" _Cody kissed back up my neck.

"I can't wait anymore, princess. I need you. Tell her goodbye." He whispered in my ear. I bit my lip as he started to roll his hips against mine, going back to the slow thrusts he was using before.

"I'm fine." I said through gritted teeth, trying so hard to suppress the moan that threatened to escape.

_"__Are __you __sure, __Em? __You __don__'__t __sound __fine. __Do __you __want __me __to __come __stay __with __you? __I __can __take __care __of __you.__"_

"No! I'm fine." I ran my hand up the back of his neck, fisting my hand in his hair.

_"__Are __you __sure __you__'__re __fine?__"_ I smiled up at Cody as I watched a bead of sweat run down his temple. He smiled back and kissed me.

"I'm better than fine, Fal. I'm perfect. Everything is perfect."

**I would really appreciate if you keep the reviews coming. Please take a couple of seconds and let me know how I'm doing. Just a tip, the more reviews I get, the quicker I'll post the next chapter. Thanks! =^.^=**


	8. Chapter 8

**You guys are freaking AMAZING! I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to KimmieCena, AngelsDestiny22, lookitsria. Randy4rkocenahardy, Xandman216, xXxFloridaGirlRKOxXx, psion53, adb226, WrestlingInLouboutines, Sarah A and ElleEnain.  
><strong>**You guys rock! \m/ (^.^) \m/ Here is chapter 7. Enjoy!**

It had been a couple of weeks since Mike had come back from his little 'vacation'. Surprisingly, things weren't as tense as I expected them to be. The day he came back, Stephanie had a meeting with Ted, Cody and I to let us know that she was going to tell Mike that the only contact he was to have with Ted and Cody was work-related, as in a match, and he was to stay away from me completely. There would be no reason for him to have any contact with me what so ever. Cody and Ted were more than happy with those conditions.

We finally got lucky and had a house show not to far away from our home. And thankfully, we had the rest of the week off. Cody and I had a flight scheduled for early morning Sunday to take us somewhere in Florida. The only bad part was how early we had to get up and drive from our house on the outskirts of Atlanta, into the city to catch our flight.

That wasn't that big of a deal though. I was happy that Cody and I got to spend sometime together, alone and at home. We could just relax after a long stressful week on the road. Maybe I could get some sleep and start to feel better.

For the last two days, I'd been having some pains in my lower abdomen that had worked its way around and was now starting to bother my lower back. They felt like the cramps I got around the time I started my period. Was it time for me to start? Who knew? My period, ever since I started having it, was pretty unpredictable. Yeah, I got it every month, but when during the month it was going to show up was completely up in the air. I could go six months in a row and it would be perfect and on time and then the next month, I'd be two weeks late. Like I was this month.

I adjusted the head on the shower, aiming the water towards my lower back. I was hoping the warmth and pulsing of the water would mellow out the pain. So far, nothing. New plan. Get out of the shower, take two Tylenol, curl up in the bed with Cody and hopefully sleep it off.

I turned off the shower and stepped out, quickly wrapping myself in a big fluffy towel, cutting the chill from the bathroom air. I wrapped my hair in another towel and brushed my teeth.

I smiled to myself as I took down my hair and started brushing it. I could hear Cody playing one of those first-person shoot-em-up games that he liked. I could see him in my head. He was probably in a t-shirt and his boxers, leaned up against the headboard with his wireless controller. More than likely, it was the fancy black one he had asked for, for Christmas.

I finished drying off and threw on a pair of panties and a tank top, my normal sleep attire at home. I took two Tylenol with a cup of water from the sink and turned off the light. I walked out into our bedroom and laughed to myself. My vision was spot on. The only difference was that in my head, he had on a white t-shirt but he was actually wearing blue tonight. He glanced up at me quickly.

"Feel any better, princess?" He asked. He knew that my back was bothering me. I shrugged.

"Not really." I walked over to my side of the bed and climbed in. "My back is still achy." I pulled the blanket up over my lap and scooted close to him. I laid my head against his shoulder and slid an arm behind his back. I draped my hand over his forearm as he kept playing. "What are you playing?" He played for another second or two and got to what seemed to be a clear spot and paused the game. He ignored my question.

"Your back is still bothering you?" I nodded against his arm.

"It's fine. I took something. I just want to lay here with you while you play." He hit a few buttons and turned the game off. "You didn't have to do that, Code." He laid his controller in his nightstand drawer. He turned back to me and kissed my forehead.

"Yeah I did. Besides, I've beaten that game twice already." He kissed my forehead again. "Why don't you let me rub your back for you? Its always makes you feel better." What he was saying was that sometimes, before I started, he would massage my aching lower back for me. It normally led to sex with us, but I did always feel better afterwards.

"I don't know, sugar. This doesn't feel quiet the same."

"Just let me try, princess. If it doesn't help, we'll just go on to sleep." He leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose. "Okay Em?" I nodded.

"Okay." I sat back up and tossed off the covers. I laid down and rolled over to my stomach. What I didn't tell Cody was that the pain was pretty bad at the moment. Hopefully, this would help some. I felt the bed move and dip as he settled himself on his knees, almost sitting on the back of my thighs. I tucked a hand up under my head and left my other arm down by my side.

"Same place as always, Em?" I nodded.

"Yeah." He pushed the bottom of my tank top up half way up my back. I sighed at the feel of his warm hands softly massaging right where I needed it. My back was feeling a little bit better. My stomach, not so much. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore it and focused on Cody's hands. They did feel good. I sighed and forced myself to relax. I felt him lift a hand off my back and use his fingertips to brush the hair away from the side of my neck. He leaned down over me and laid a soft kiss to the exposed skin.

"Feel any better, Em?" He whispered near my ear. I nodded. I ran my hand against the side of his knee.

"A little bit." He took his other hand off my back and planted both of them on either side of my head. He pressed himself against my back. He kept kissing my neck and cheek. I worked my hand up his thigh, slipping my fingers under the edge of his boxers.

"You know what I heard, princess?"

"What, Cody?" I moaned softly as he pressed himself tight against me. I already knew his answer. Sometimes, I was the one asking that question.

"I heard," he slid a hand down my side, stopping at my hip, "that during the throws of passion," he slipped his hand between my body and the bed, flattening his palm against my lower abdomen and dipped his fingertips under the top of my panties, "the body releases endorphins." His hand dipped farther down, making me rock my hip back against his as I moved against his teasing fingers. I moaned his name softly, trying to ignore the pain that was still present and keep that focus on the pure pleasure of Cody's touch. He nipped at my earlobe. "They say endorphins make the pain go away."

"Mmm...do they?" He slowly pulled his hand away and leaned back enough so that I could roll over to face him. He pulled his shirt up and over his head. I ran my hands up his chest. "You think you can make it go away, sugar?" He snaked his hands under my tank top and gently pushed it up and over my head. He leaned back in, pressing his chest against mine. I moaned at the contact against my incredibly sensitive and tender breasts. He took that as a good thing.

"I'm gonna try, princess." He kissed me, instantly deepening it. I wrapped my arms around him, running my hands up and down his back as he worked both my panties and his boxers off. My head fell back on the pillow as he dropped hot kisses down the side of my throat. I heard him blindly digging through my nightstand drawer, looking for a condom that he knew was in there. He slammed the drawer shut when he found one. He pulled back so that he could open the wrapper. He came back in to kiss me, arching his hips away from me to roll the condom on.

Cody pressed his hips back against mine and slowly started to fill me. He groaned at the feeling. I normally would have moaned along with him but instead I bit my lip, flinching slightly at the unexpected painful pressure. He noticed. "You okay, Em?" I nodded, hopping the pain went away. I pulled him down to kiss me. He slowly started to rock himself in and out of my body. I wanted it to feel good. I wanted it to be like it always was between us but it wasn't. The pain, that was supposed to be going away, was getting worse. I loved being with Cody but right now I prayed that he finished soon so I could curl up on my side and cry the pain away.

That thought disappeared as the pain blazed through my abdomen. I cried out at the sensation. Cody misinterpreted the sound. He mumbled something unintelligible against my throat. Every move Cody made hurt worse and worse. I pressed a hand against his shoulder to get his attention.

"Cody?" I started to cry as the pain felt like whit hot lightening shooting through me. He kissed my neck by my ear.

"Mmmhmm, princess..." He didn't stop. He really didn't know he had to yet. I was about to tell him as calmly as I could when a pain, worse than the first one, hit me again. I yelled out his name and shoved at his shoulder.

"Oh God, stop! Stop! Please, Cody, stop!" He leaned up on his hands, looking down at me. I shoved at his chest. "Please stop Cody. It hurts. Get off!" He didn't hesitate. He pulled out and sat back on his knees. I grabbed my belly as I cried harder. The pain was nearly unbearable.

"Emery?" He laid a hand over mine and I could see the worry and confusion on his face. "Princess, what's wrong? What did I do?" I shook my head, trying to tell him it wasn't him. "Emery?" I sat up needing to go to the bathroom before I got sick from the pain. Cody was looking down at his own lap. "Did you start, Em?" I followed his gaze down. The condom was covered in blood. I weakly pushed past Cody and made it to the bathroom seconds before I lost the contents of my stomach. Cody was right behind me holding my hair and rubbing my back. "I'm here, Emmy. It's okay. I'm here." He whispered to me.

"Will you get my clothes, Code?" He nodded. I stumbled to the sink. I ran the water to wash my face. I glanced down to see a small trickle of blood running down the inside of my thigh. I doubled over as the pain became intense again. I cleaned off the blood just as Cody walked in with my clothes in hand. He had put his boxers back on.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. What can I do, Em?" Again, I shook my head.

"It wasn't you." I looked at him with fresh tears rolling down my cheeks. "Something's wrong, Cody. I think I need to go to the hospital."

"Okay, princess. I'll take you." He laid my clothes on the counter by the sink. "Do you need my help?"

"No. You get dressed. If I need you, I'll call you." He cupped my cheek and kissed my forehead. He paused for a second with his lips still against my skin. Cody pulled back to look at me.

"My God Em. You're burning up." I could hear the fear creeping into his voice. "Hurry and get dressed." I nodded as he pretty much ran into the bedroom. I pulled the t-shirt that that he bought me over my head and stepped into the panties. Just as I pulled them up, I realized that I should probably put on a panty liner just incase I kept bleeding like this. I didn't want it to get everywhere. Before I could pull them back down, the pain made its devastating return. I was on the verge of passing out. Thank God I was holding on to the counter as my knees started to give out on me.

"Cody!" I weakly yelled out for him. I was going down. I could feel it coming. He was at the door two seconds later.

"Emery?" He froze as he looked at me, the fear was written all over his face. "Emery, baby, what's wrong?" He started towards me. I lost my grip on the counter and started to go down. I think I might have felt Cody hands on me moments before I tumbled into the darkness.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I got to Emery just in time to keep her head from bouncing off the titled floor of our bathroom. What the hell was going on? I called out her name a few times but she didn't respond. I rubbed her cheek trying to get a movement or anything out of her. She didn't move. She was still on fire. I need to get her to the hospital. I dug in my pocket for my phone and dialed 911.

"Emery, princess, come on. Wake up for me. Please Em." I tried talking to her as the operator came on the line. I failed to keep the fear out of my voice.

_"__Cobb __County __911. __What__'__s __your __emergency?__"_

"I need an ambulance. My girlfriend is sick."

_"__Tell __me __your __name, __sir.__"_

"My name is Cody."

"_What's wrong with your girlfriend, Cody?"_

"I don't know. She just passed out in our bathroom. Please send someone!"

_"__They__'__re __on __their __way, __hun. __I __need __you __to __try __and __stay __calm. __What__'__s __your __girlfriend__'__s __name?__" _I started to move her in my lap so that I could hold her.

"Emery. Her name is Emery." I moved my hand away from the back of her upper thighs where I lifted her. My hand was covered in blood. "Oh God."

_"__What__'__s __wrong __Cody?__"_

"She's bleeding. There's blood all over the back of her legs." I was starting to panic. I wiped my hand on the knee of my jeans and hugged her limp body against me.

_"__Has __she __been __injured? __Is __there __a __wound?__"_

"No. Shit! Where are they?"

_"__I __need __you __to __calm __down __Cody. __I __need __you __to __stay __calm __for __Emery, __okay?__"_

"Okay." I stroked her cheek. "Emmy, princess, please..." I whispered to her. "God, she's not gonna die is she?" I asked the operator. My heart seized in my chest as I said the words I didn't want to hear.

"_I __don__'__t __know, __Cody. __I __hope __not __hun. __The __paramedics __are __gonna __do __everything __they __can __to __help __her. __You __should __be __able __to __hear __their __sirens __any __second __now, __Cody.__" _Just as the words came out of her mouth I heard them.

"I can hear them. They're right outside."

_"__That__'__s __good, __Cody. __That __means __Emery__'__s __gonna __get __the __help __that __she __needs.__" _She paused for a second. _"__Cody, __hun, __they__'__re __telling __me __your __front __door __is __locked. __They __need __you __to __come __unlock __it __for __them.__" _The thought of leaving Emery for just a second made fear flex through my stomach.

"I can't leave her." I could hear someone pounding on the door.

_"__She__'__ll __be __okay __for __just __a __second. __I __promise. __You __can __run.__" _I took a deep breath, catching the sent of Emery's shampoo and blood. I knew if I didn't go, they would kick the door in. Em would never forgive me if they destroyed the front door. She spent months picking out that door. We had made love against that door the day we installed it. Emery loved that door. I gently laid her back on the floor.

"Okay. Tell them I'm coming." I dropped the phone on the counter and sprinted down the stairs. I yanked open the door and ran back up to Emery. She was in the same spot I left her. I grabbed the phone off the counters as the paramedics rushed in behind me. "They're here." The operator started to say something else but I lost all thought when I heard the word 'hemorrhaging' come from one of the guys.

"We have to get her in now or we're gonna loose her." The one guy said. I started to feel short of breath. I'd go absolutely crazy if I lost her. I was sure I wouldn't be able to withstand loosing Emery. "Sir!" The same guy yelled at me. By the look on his face, he had said it a couple of times before. I shook my head trying to clear it.

"Yeah?" With the way he was looking at me, he probably thought I was high. At this point, I could care less.

"What's her name?" I looked down as they started to load her on a stretcher. "Sir?"

"Emery. Emery Harper."

"What's your relation to her?'

"She's my girlfriend."

"What happened tonight?" I told him everything. From her not feeling well to her passing out in the bathroom and everything in between.

"She's gonna be alright isn't she?" He didn't answer.

"Do you want to ride with her to the hospital?" He asked as they started to wheel her out. I just nodded.

I climbed in to the back of the waiting ambulance. I sat on one side of Emery, taking her hand in mine. I blocked out all the talking between the two guys trying to help my Em. She may have said it wasn't but I knew this was my fault. I didn't think I was being too forceful...

What kind of asshole was I to try and make her have sex with me when she felt so bad?

I glanced up at one of the guys sitting on the other side of Emery, taking her blood pressure. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Hey, don't I know you?"

"No, I don't..." He wagged a finger at me.

"Yeah, yeah. You're Cody Rhodes. Wow. I'm a big fan of the whole Legacy thing..."

"Yeah..." I stopped talking the moment I heard her.

"Cody?" I could barely make out Emery's muffled voice. I moved the oxygen mask away from her face.

"I'm here, princess." I kissed her forehead. "I'm right here."

"Stay with me?" She whispered to me. She was barely conscious.

"I'm not gonna anywhere Emmy. I'm right here."

I tried. I really did. I tried to stay with her but as soon as they rolled her into the ER, they stopped me. Two of the paramedics stopped me from following her through the swinging doors. She had passed out again right before we got to the hospital. I would have yelled out to her but she wouldn't have heard me anyway. I tried one last time to get through the door.

"Man, they aren't gonna let you back there cause you aren't her family." One of them told me.

"That's bullshit! She IS my family!"

"That may be but you two aren't married. They're only going to give information to her blood relation." He stepped back away from me. "I'm sorry man." They walked away, heading back to their waiting rig. I walked up to the door to at least see if I could catch a glimpse of where they took her. All I could see was a busy hallway. I wandered back into the empty waiting room. I dug my phone out of my pocket. I knew it was late, but I needed them here and I knew they would want to be here for Emery. They loved her almost as much as I did. The phone rang four times before someone finally picked up.

_"__Hello?__"_ The sleepy female voice answered.

"Mom?"

_"__Cody? __What...__" _I heard her shuffling around in bed, probably sitting up, _"__it __2am. __What__'__s __wrong?__"_

"I'm at the hospital in the city."

_"__The __hospital? __Cody, __baby, __what __happened? __Are __you __hurt?__ Is __Emery __there __with __you?__" _I could hear the worry in her voice.

"It's not me, Mom. I'm not hurt. It's Emery. Something's wrong. She collapsed in our bathroom at home. There was blood. They won't tell me anything." I sucked in a deep breath, trying to keep myself calm. "Can you and Pop come? Please? She would want you here. Please?" I heard her saying Pop's name, trying to wake him up.

_"__We__'__re __on __our __way, __baby.__" _We hung up. I looked at the phone in my hands. I knew that this was the end of Emery's and my secret but that didn't matter. They needed to be here. I dialed the phone, waiting for someone to answer.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I could hear someone saying my name loudly near my face.

"Ms. Harper? Ms. Harper can you hear me? I need you to open your eyes for me." I didn't want to. The pain was still rolling through my belly. I just wanted to curl up on my side and cry. "Emery?" I reluctantly opened my eyes, if only to shut the voice up, and found myself looking into the face of a middle-aged man who looked a little like Shane McMahon. "There you are sweetheart." He smiled softly at me. "My name is Dr. Fisher and you're at Atlanta University Hospital. I need you to tell me what's bothering you."

"My stomach." That's all I could manage to get out. He moved down by my hips.

"Down in this area, Emery?" I just nodded. "I'm going to see if I can feel anything. I need you to tell me if it's tender." He pressed his fingertips into my skin just below my belly button. I screamed out in pain. "I'm sorry sweetheart. I know that hurts. Is it more painful on the left or right side?

"Left." I said through the tears brought on by the fresh wave of pain. He turned and said something to one of the nurses. She handed him some kind of wand like thing.

"Emery, I'm going to do a quick ultrasound of the area, okay?" I nodded. "I'm going to see if I can find out if something's going on." I gritted my teeth at the pain as he rolled it over my skin. I flinched and nearly came off the bed when he rolled over a certain spot. "Is that where the pain is the most?"

"Yes! Please stop! It hurts!"

"I know sweetheart. Just hang in there for a few more seconds." He moved a couple of inches and stopped. "Damn." He muttered. He turned to the nurse standing beside him. "Call over and have them prep Operating Room 4, stat. She's bleeding out." He looked at me and walked back up by my head. "Emery, I need you to listen to me. I need you to sign a consent form for me. It's gonna allow me to perform surgery on you." I started to cry harder.

"What? Why?"

"It looks like one of your fallopian tubes has burst and you're bleeding internally and it's also leaking down into your uterus. That's the reason for the blood and the painful intercourse with your boyfriend. Emery, if I don't get you into surgery soon, you may bleed to death." My breath shuddered as I tried to breathe in. I just nodded.

"Okay." The nurse rushed over with the form. I signed it and handed it back. He took the nurse's arm and stopped her.

"Emery, this is Annie. She's going to take care of you right now and she's going to be right here when you wake up, okay?" Again, I nodded. "I'm going to give you something to make you go to sleep." He shot something into my IV. "When you wake up, this will be all over." He left as Annie put the oxygen mask on my face. I grabbed at her hand, keeping her from walking away.

"Can Cody be here when I wake up? I want him here with me." My eyes started to droop as the medicine took hold. She smiled at me.

"I'll see what I can do darlin'."

Randy came awake with a start at the sound of Fallon's phone ringing on the nightstand. Fallon shifted against him but didn't wake up.

"Fal, baby?" He rubbed her back. "Baby, your phone's ringing." She murmured something against his chest but didn't go for the still ringing phone. He sighed and rolled Fallon to her back so that he could reach across her to grab her phone. He glanced at the clock. It was a little after 2AM. "Hello?"

_"__Randy?_"

"Yeah. Who is this?"

_"__It__'__s __Cody. __Where__'__s __Fallon?__"_

"Cody? Man, it's nearly 2:30 in the morning. She's asleep. What do you want?" He heard Cody sigh on his end.

_"__You __guys __need __to __come __to __the __hospital. __Atlanta __University. __It__'__s __Emery.__"_ Randy froze.

"What?" He looked down at Fallon sleeping under him. "Is she okay?"

_"I don't know. They won't tell me anything."_

"Alright, Code. We're on the way." He ended the call and set the phone back on the nightstand. He rubbed Fallon's arm. "Fallon? Baby, wake up." Her eyes fluttered open.

"What is it, Randy?" He kissed her.

"We need to get up and get dressed. I don't want to scare you, but it's Emery. She's in the hospital." Fallon's eyes flew all the way open.

"Oh my God! Is she okay? What happened?"

"I don't know what happened. I don't know if she's okay. They won't tell Cody anything."

"Oh God! We need to hurry."

Within 5 minutes flat, they were dressed, out of the hotel and climbing into the car. Randy was about to turn the key in the ignition when he realized something. He stopped mid-turn.

"Randy? What are you waiting for? Come on. We have to get to Emery." Fallon asked, gripping his arm.

"Hold up a second, baby." He turned and looked at Fallon. "Why did Rhodes call about Em? How did he know she was there?" Confusion clouded her features.

"Yeah. Why didn't her boyfriend, Garrett call us? She told us she was so happy to go home to him tonight. She was excited to spend the next couple of days, alone, just the two of them. Why was Cody the one to call?" Randy narrowed his eyes in anger.

"Because," he turned the car on, "Cody is the one that put her in there." He threw the car in reverse and stomped on the gas. "That shithead fucks with her all the time. This time he took it too far." He squealed tires out of the parking deck. "This ends tonight, Fal."

They made it to the hospital in 10 minutes flat. Randy had worked himself up, so that by the time they got out of the car, he was fuming. He had convinced himself that Cody had hurt Emery. He loved Emery like his own little sister. Cody was gonna pay for hurting her. No one hurt his family.

He walked into the hospital with Fallon hot on his heels. She was still telling him to calm down.

"Randy, we don't have the whole story. We should hear his side."

"Fuck his side Fal. I know everything I need to know."

They followed the signs and rounded the corner, walking into the waiting room. It was empty, minus Cody. He was sitting on the far side of the room. His elbows were leaned on his knees and his head was resting in his hands as he stared at the floor.

"Rhodes!" Randy roared as his anger propelled him across the room. Cody's head shot up when he heard the voice. Before he could react Randy was gripping the front of his t-shirt and jerked him straight up out of the chair. "What the fuck did you do to her?"

"Nothing." Cody said quietly. Randy shook him violently.

"Bullshit! When I find out what you did...Why didn't Garrett call? Did you even let her get home to him?"

"We were at home."

"You followed her home?" Randy shoved Cody away from him, up against the wall. That was when he noticed the blood on Cody's jean covered thighs and the bottom of his blue t-shirt. He growled as he slammed him again. "That blood better fuckin' be yours, Rhodes!" Cody closed his eyes and dropped his head.

"No, it's Emery's. She started hemorrhaging while we were having sex." Randy saw red.

"You raped her?"

"No! It's not like that..."

"The fuck it isn't! She would never willingly have sex with you, Rhodes! She hates you! You're fuckin' dead!" The whole time, Fallon had been trying to pull Randy off and calm him down. He was having none of that. Just as Randy went for Cody's throat, a pair of strong hands pulled him back.

"Whoa boys! That's enough! We're in a hospital for God's sake!" Dusty said as he shoved Randy back a few steps.

"Not surprised you're defending him. That bastard is your son. Do you know what he did to Emery?" Randy asked Dusty.

"I didn't hurt her." Cody said quietly.

"The fuck you didn't! Why is she in the hospital then? I've seen the way you treat her. Like shit!" Dusty shook his head.

"No, _YOU _haven't Randy. _I__'__ve _seen the way he really treats her. She's everything to him." Before Randy could respond, the door to the waiting room came open.

"Is the family of Emery Harper here?" Annie asked. Fallon rushed forward with Randy hot on her heels this time.

"I'm her sister. Is she okay? Can we see her?" Fallon nearly begged.

"She's just out of surgery and still a little groggy but you can come see her." Fallon nodded as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Thank you." Annie nodded back and looked back down at her papers.

"Is there a Cody Runnels here too?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Cody said, walking over quickly. Annie smiled at him.

"Good. Emery's been asking for you, darlin'."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"How are you feeling Emery?" Dr. Fisher asked. He stood beside my bed, checking my vitals.

"Sore and sleepy." I mumbled. The anesthesia still had a strong hold on me.

"That's to be expected. So, I have good and bad news about the surgery. The good news is that we got the bleeding stopped and cleaned up in your abdomen. The bad news is that your tube was a complete loss. We had to remove the whole thing. Also," he laid a hand on my arm, "we couldn't save the pregnancy. It was too damaged to try and replant it. I tried. I'm sorry, Emery." I started to cry as what he said sunk in. I was pregnant. I was pregnant and I lost it. I lost Cody's child. I wasn't sure if he would ever forgive me this. I knew how much Cody wanted to have kids someday.

Dr. Fisher kept talking but I only caught every few words through my crying. My heart broke when I pieced together that he told me that it would be impossible for me to get pregnant again and carry the carry the child to full term.

"I'm gonna send your family in okay?" I nodded, wiping at my tears. "I'll come check on you a little later." He opened the door and talked quietly to whoever was on the other side. Moments later, Fallon and Randy came rushing through. Randy slammed the door shut behind him.

"Oh Emery." Fallon took my hand. "Oh my God. How do you feel?"

"Like hell. I just got out of surgery, Fal. How would you feel?" I looked down towards the foot of the bed where Randy was standing. I then looked back towards the door. "Where is Cody?" I looked back at Randy as Fallon glanced at him. He reached out to rub my ankle.

"I won't let him near you, Em. He won't hurt you again."

"What are you talking about?" I looked back at Fallon. "Did he leave?" I could feel the panic creeping up on me. Was he already gone? I squeezed Fallon's hand. "Did he?" She softly rubbed my upper arm. She let me go and walked towards the door. She glared at Randy as she passed him. I didn't notice that Randy had locked the door when he slammed it. Fallon unlocked it and opened it to reveal Cody standing on the other side. He ignored both Fallon and Randy. He was at my side in an instant. He took my face in both of his hands. I smiled sleepily at him. He was still here.

"Emmy." He kissed me softly. "You scared the hell out of me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean too." He smiled back at me as I wrapped my hands around his wrists.

"I know, princess. I know. But you're gonna be okay now. Thank God." He kissed me again, letting me wrap my arms around his neck and hold him close as I cried.

"I love you, Cody. Stay with me tonight. Please don't leave me." He kissed my forehead.

"I love you too, Emmy." He stroked the hair away from my face. "I'm not going anywhere, princess. I'm not going anywhere." He held me tight. "I'm right here."

**I would really appreciate if you keep the reviews coming. Please take a couple of seconds and let me know how I'm doing. Just a tip, the more reviews I get, the quicker I'll post the next chapter. Thanks! =^.^=**


	9. Chapter 9

**I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to KimmieCena, AngelsDestiny22, lookitsria. Randy4rkocenahardy, Xandman216, xDarlingNikki, adb226, Sarah A and ElleEnein. You guys rock! \m/ (^.^) \m/ Here's chapter 9. Enjoy!**

I turned my head towards the sound of the deep breathing beside me. Cody. Sleeping next to me, just like he had been every night since the surgery. He hadn't left my side, except one time, right before I was released from the hospital. He disappeared for a couple hours but returned with some clothes for me to wear home.

I opened my eyes to see Cody's face relaxed in sleep. He was lying on his side facing me. Close by, just in case I needed him. He had been like this since I came home. He was sacrificing his sacred time off to take care of me and I was too much of a chicken shit to tell him everything that happened. Yeah, he knew about my tube bursting but he didn't know that I was pregnant. He also didn't know that now I couldn't have children. I couldn't seem to make myself tell him about the baby. I just knew that he would hate me for what happened. I couldn't bear to see him look at me that way. I didn't think I could take it. I knew it would destroy him.

I gently rolled to my side to face him, careful of my movements so as not to tear open the two small incisions just below my belly button. I didn't want a repeat trip back to the ER. I felt so bad for everything that happened and scaring the life out of everyone. I was so grateful to have them though. Fallon and Randy, once they recovered from the shock of learning about Cody and me, had stayed as long as they could. The two of them took it better than I expected. I'm sure, if I hadn't been fresh out of surgry, I would have gotten a lecture from Fallon about keeping secrets this big from her. I'm pretty sure that at some point while I was asleep Cody got the 'you hurt her, I'll kill you' talk from Randy.

Cody's mom, Michelle, had been coming by every day to make sure that Cody was taking proper care of me and we were eating. Hell, I had either talked to or seen Cody's whole family. Even his sister, who I had only met a couple of times, called to check on me. The word had even gotten to Ted and Rebecca, who volunteered to come stay with me while I was recovering. Of course, I told her no, she didn't have to do that.

I blinked back tears as I gently traced Cody's eyebrows and down his nose with my fingertips, trying not to wake him up. I just wanted to watch him sleep. I let the tears creep silently down my cheek as I came to the conclusion that I didn't deserve him. He was completely perfect. No one in my life, minus Fallon and back when we talked more, my mom and dad, had ever cared about me or loved me the way Cody did. No matter what stupid shit happened or restriction I put on our relationship, he was right there, loving me through all of it. I was completely unworthy. I was pretty sure once he found out about the baby, all that would change. Regardless, I still knew I needed to tell him.

I quickly wiped away the tears as Cody started to wake up. I didn't want him to know I had been crying. Not that he didn't know that I had been off and on for the last couple of days. No matter how many times he asked, which would have been the perfect time to mention the baby, I couldn't seem to tell him why. After about the 10th time, he stopped asking what was wrong.

"Morning Em." Cody said, smiling sleepily at me. He cupped my cheek, moving in and kissing my nose. "How are you feeling, princess?" Now would be the perfect time...

"Better, I guess." What the hell was wrong with me? Why couldn't I tell him? I could tell Cody anything.

"That's good." I closed my eyes as he stroked my cheekbone with his thumb and kissed my forehead. "You need to take something?" He thought my closed eyes indicated that I was in pain. I had refused to take the pain medication the doctor gave me. I deserved to feel every bit of this pain. I shook my head.

"No. You know you don't have to take care of me like this Cody." He grinned at me.

"Yeah I do." He kissed me. "I want to." He stretched and crawled out of bed. He came around to my side. "You think I'm bad now, wait until you get pregnant." He placed a hand on either side of my body and leaned in, pressing a couple of kisses on my cheek by my ear. "I'm not gonna let you lift a finger. I'm gonna pamper you every single day. Just like you deserve." I bit my lip, trying to keep the tears at bay until Cody got out of earshot. I held out until I heard the shower come on.

I couldn't tell him, ever. He could never know. I couldn't do this to him anymore. He didn't deserve it. While Cody showered, I cried and made my plan. This might hurt him a little but he would be okay in the end. Me, my heart would be irreversibly destroyed, but _that_ was what I deserve.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay, princess? I can call Stephanie and tell her I'm sick." Cody asked me. I was sitting up against the headboard, watching him pack. He was flying out in a couple of hours.

"No, sugar. I'll be okay." He glanced over at me.

"Want me to take you over to Mom and Dad's..." I shook my head.

"No, Cody. I think I'll be fine." 'After awhile', I added silently.

"Okay." He zipped up his bag and placed it on the floor. I threw off the blankets and carefully swung my feet onto the floor. "What are you doing, Em?" I waved off his hands as he reached to help me. I stood up. I was still sore but the pain wasn't too bad.

"I wanted to hug you before you left." I let a couple of tears fall. Cody misinterpreted my tears. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close.

"Awe, Emmy. Don't cry, princess. I'll be back Wednesday morning. I promise." I nodded, pressing my face against his neck, taking a deep breath, memorizing his scent. He ran his fingers through my hair, moving it back away from my face when I lifted my head.

"Thank you, Cody." I said softly.

"For what princess?"

"For...everything." He grinned at me, not knowing I meant our entire relationship and life together.

"You're welcome, Em. You know I'd do anything for you." He kissed my forehead. The tears were silently streaming down my face. I didn't want this moment to end. Cody and I were standing in each other's arms in the middle of our bedroom. I wanted to stay here forever. The moment was destroyed by the honking of the taxi that had pulled up in front of our house to take Cody to the airport.

"I love you, Cody. I love you so much." I kissed him. Again, he hit me with his beautiful lopsided grin.

"I love you too, Emmy. More than anything." He kissed me this time. I wanted to cling to him, keep him with me, but it was time to let him go. I stepped back away from him as the horn sounded again.

"Goodbye Cody." I said, breaking my heart in the process.

"Bye Em." He grabbed his bag. "See you in a couple of days." He kissed me quickly and wheeled his bag out the door. I wrapped my arms around myself to keep from running after him. I made myself stand in that spot till I heard the door shut behind him.

"No, Cody, you won't see me again." I said to the empty room.

I waited until later that night, after Cody called to tell me he had had made it to the hotel in Miami after RAW, which I couldn't bring myself to watch, before I loaded my bags in the trunk of my car.

I knew it was late but I called Stephanie anyway. She was the last professional link I had to sever. She picked up on the second ring.

_"Hello?"_

"Ms. McMahon, this is Emery Harper."

_"Oh, Emery. Hey, how are you? I heard you weren't feeling well." _I didn't want to have small talk with her. It would just make it harder. I just jumped right in with it.

"Ms. McMahon, I have to confess something. I've broken the conditions of my contract. I was in a relationship with one of your Superstars. And no, before you ask, I won't tell you who it is. He and I aren't together anymore. He doesn't deserve to be in trouble. Because I broke my contract, I'm resigning my position, effective immediately." Stephanine didn't say anything. I kept going before I started to cry on the phone. "I only ask one thing."

_"Oh...uh...okay."_ Going by the tone of her voice, she was clearly taken aback by what I had just told her.

"Can you please not tell Fallon, Randy, Ted or Cody that we talked? Just tell them that I resigned and I wish them well. I'm sorry, Ms. McMahon. I'm so sorry."

_"Emery...wait..."_

"I can't. Thank you for everything, Ms. McMahon. I really enjoyed working for you. I'm sorry." I hung up before she could say anything else.

I looked around the bedroom one last time. Before I could stop myself, I laid my phone down on Cody's pillow beside the note I had written him and turned away. Just as I was about to walk out the door, I saw his shirt draped over the back of the chair. I couldn't help but reach out and grab it. I brought it up to my nose. Oh God. It smelled like him. I tucked the shirt against my chest and slowly made my way to my car.

I took one more look at the home that Cody and I had shared for the last two years, before backing out of the driveway and driving away. I had thought long and hard about someplace that I could go where no one would ever think to look for me. I drove about an hour outside of Atlanta before I stopped. I found one of the few remaining pay phones and dialed the very familiar number.

_"Hello?"_ The voice that I didn't realize until that moment that I missed so much, answered. I took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

"Hi, Momma, it's Emery. Can I come home?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Cody's POV

I flipped the top on the little velvet box open and closed repeatedly as I called Emery again. I'd been calling her all day. She had left me a message late, late last night, telling me not to worry about calling her today. She was gonna sleep most of the day. I had waited till lunchtime then I called. I couldn't stand not talking to her and knowing how she was doing. I knew something had to be wrong. It was just a feeling I couldn't seem to shake. Em had sounded like she was upset or crying when she ended her message with 'I love you'.

I flicked the little box open and closed again. So what was in the box? It was a 2.5 carat, barely purple emerald cut diamond with a half carat white baguette diamond on either side, set in platinum. Yeah...an engagement ring. Before everything happened, I had a whole romantic night planned out and the cherry on the sundae of the night, I was going to ask her to marry me.

I had been working on this for a good three months. But her getting sick just pushed it back a little bit. Emery was perfect for me in every way, so waiting a few more days to ask her wasn't going to hurt me one way or the other. I smiled to myself at the thought of me giving her my name, having children with her and us spending the rest of our lives together.

I sighed when her phone went to voicemail again. I left the same message I had been leaving all day. "Where are you Em? I was just checking on you. Call me when you get this. I love you, princess." I hung up again as the worry started to take a deep hold on me. Something was wrong. This wasn't like Emery. She was attached to that phone. She'd never not answer. I was just about to call her again when I got an idea. Instead, I called my Mom and Dad's house.

_"'Ello?"_ My Dad's typical way to answer the phone.

"Hey Dad."

_"Cody! Saw the show last night, son. You and Jr. are working well together. Your characters are coming along good. So, how's my Em feeling? She up and about yet?" _His normal conversation. Jumping straight from one subject into a completely unrelated one.

"That's actually what I was calling about. I've been trying to get in touch with her all day but she's not answering the phone. I know it's kinda late but do you think you and Mom could ride over to our house and check on her? She said she was gonna sleep all day but..."

_"Don't worry Code. Me and your Mother are heading over right now_."

"Thanks Dad. Tell her to call me. I've been worried about her." He agreed that he would and we hung up.

I paced around my hotel room for a good hour and a half before I couldn't take it anymore. I dialed Emery's phone. I let out a deep pent up breath as the line clicked, letting me know she answered. I didn't even give her a chance to speak.

"Emery! Thank God! Where have you been all day? I've been worried out of my mind about you princess. How are..."

_"Cody."_ I stopped mid-sentence as my Dad's voice came on the line.

"Dad? What are you doing answering Emery's phone? Where is she?"

_"Cody, son, I need you to listen to me. I need you to go to the airport and see if you can get a flight out tonight." _Oh Christ! My heart stopped. Something _WAS _wrong!

"Dad, is Emery okay? Let me talk to her. Dad, please..." The panic was creeping up quick. If I didn't talk to her soon, I was going to lose it. "Dad?"

_"Son...you need to come home."_

Fate must have been on my side. When I got to the airport, I was still in the time frame to catch the fight leaving with in the hour. I don't even remember going through all of security or even boarding the plane. The next thing I knew, we were taxing down the runway. That flight was the longest two hours of my entire life.

Normally, the drive from the airport, home took 20 minutes or more. I made it to our house in 10. The driver got a hundred dollar tip for that. He set out my bags beside Dad's truck. I left them there as he pulled off and I ran into the house. I threw open the front door, instantly calling out for her.

"Emery? Em, where are you?" I searched the kitchen, living room, den and every room on the first floor. She wasn't there. I ran to the stairs when I heard a noise there. "Emery?" I looked up, finding Dad standing at the head of the stairs. "Dad, where is she?" He didn't answer, just looked at me. My heart started a quick decent towards my feet. "What's going on?" He sighed deeply.

"You should come upstairs, son." He turned and walked back towards me and Emery's bedroom. I quickly followed. I walked in the room. It looked exactly like the rest of the house. Neat as a pin, the way Emery liked it and empty as hell. She wasn't there either.

"Where is..."

"She's gone, baby." Mom said, standing up from where she was sitting on the foot of the bed.

"What? What do you mean she's gone?" A thought hit me, turning my stomach to a pit of ice. "Oh God. Is she..." I couldn't even bring myself to ask. Mom shook her head.

"Cody, baby, she left and I don't think she's coming back." I shook my head, still not grasping what they were trying to tell me.

"She left you a note, son." Dad pointed to my side of the bed and to my pillow. I walked over. Her cell phone was laying there beside a folded piece of paper with my name written on it, in Emery's handwriting. I had to sit down on the bed, my knees giving out on me as I started to read.

_Dear Cody,_

_I'm sorry that I had to do it this way, but I knew if I tried to say any of this to you, it would never have come out the way I wanted it to. Besides, if I had to look into your eyes again, I never would have been able to leave. My leaving is for the best. You deserve the best out of life and I can't give that to you. I can't give you what you really need or want, so I'm bowing out. You deserve to find someone better than me. Someone that can give you everything I can't._

_You are the most amazing person I have ever known. You loved me through all the drama and shit that I had and you never blamed me for any of it. I will forever be grateful. But today, that ends. As much as it breaks my heart, I'm letting you go._

_I can't hold you back anymore. There is someone out there that is exactly what you need and deserve. We both know, that's not me._

_I want you to know that the last three years with you have been the best, most amazing time of my life. I wouldn't trade the time we spent together for anything in the world. I love you with every ounce of my being and will love you for the rest of my life. I never meant to hold you back the way I did and I will forever regret that._

_I realize now that our entire relationship was just a beautiful lie. What we had was perfect and wonderful while we had it but it was never meant for us to be. And I'd be lying to both of us if I thought that I was good enough or evn deserving of your love._

_It's time for you to move on. You're life will be so much happier and more peaceful without me dragging you down every step of the way. And all I will ever want in this world is for you to be happy. Now, you're finally free._

_Cody, you will forever and always have all of my love. No matter how many years pass, no one, NO ONE will ever come close to taking your place in my heart. Don't worry, this is the last you will hear from me. I won't ever bother you again. I'm sorry for everything. This is my goodbye._

_Always,_

_Your Emery_

I couldn't breathe. She was gone. She just left in the middle of the night, taking my life and heart with her. Why would she do this? What had I done to make her leave? Was it because I hurt her?

"Cody, son..." I waved Dad off. I was on the verge of breaking down and I didn't want them to be here when it happened.

"You guys should go home." I said quietly.

"Baby..." Mom started.

"Damn it! Just go!" I instantly regretted yelling at them. I dropped the letter beside me on the bed, putting my head in my hands. "I'm sorry but I just want to be by myself. Please...just go." They tried to say something about calling them. I eventually heard someone bring my bags inside and Dad's truck start as they drove away.

This couldn't be happening. I dug into my pocket and pulled out the velvet box, flipping it open and looking at the ring I had made for her. It was perfect for her and would look so right on her hand, showing everyone that she was with me. I snapped the lid shut and tossed it on the nightstand. I couldn't look at it right now.

This was wrong. This was _SO_ wrong. Emery and I were doing fine. Hell, we barely ever fought. I couldn't figure out what she was saying in her letter. How could she not know that _she_ was everything I wanted and needed?

Emery was my entire world, the reason I breathed. And right now, at this moment, my world was shattering around me.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I drove straight for nine hours only stopping once, right inside of North Carolina for gas. It was nearly 8am when I finally pulled into my parent's drive-way. The house looked exactly the same as it had nearly five years ago when Fallon and I left here for the last time. The only thing that had changed were the flowers in the front flowerbed.

The front door opened. They must have heard me pull up. My Mom stepped out first, wiping her hands on a dish towel. She looked just like I remembered. She had a little more gray mixed in her blonde hair but she still looked wonderful. My Dad stepped out behind her, taking off his reading glasses. He had that gray creeping up on him too. It was taking over at his temples and fading into his nearly black hair. Nathan and Caroline Harper. They looked...like home.

I gathered up my courage and climbed stiffly out of the car. I could feel the break down coming. I just prayed it didn't happen in front of them. I walked to the foot of the steps leading up to the front porch and looked up at them.

"Hi Momma. Hi Daddy." I said softly. I could feel my eyes flooding from the on slot of tears I couldn't seem to stop from coming.

"Emery, I don't know why you're here or what happened to bring you here and I don't think I really care. We're just so happy to see you." Mom held her arms open for me. "Welcome home sweetheart." I nearly ran up the stairs as the tears overflowed and ran down my cheeks. She wrapped her arms around me, holding me tight as I cried on her shoulder, Dad rubbed my back gently. "You're okay, Emmy. You're home now." I cried harder when she called me 'Emmy'. It instantly reminded me of what I had left behind. I shook my head.

"I don't know, Momma. I don't know if I'm ever gonna be okay."

**I would really appreciate if you keep the reviews coming. Please take a couple of seconds and let me know how I'm doing. Just a tip, the more reviews I get, the quicker I'll post the next chapter. Thanks! =^.^=**


	10. Chapter 10

**Holy poo! You guys are so amazing! I have never gotten this many reviews for one chapter. I heart you all! I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to AngelsDestiny22, KimmieCena, angelshavetheirwickedschemes, psion53, Randy4rkocenahardy, ElleEnein, Xandman216, lookitsria, xDarlingNikki, redheadedsweetheart, adb226, xMyHeartShine and Sarah A. You guys rock! \m/ (^.^) \m/ Here's chapter 10. Enjoy!**

_I laced my fingers through Cody's as we walked up the sidewalk to my small apartment, right inside the city limits of Atlanta. The two of us were coming back from a romantic dinner. It was a delayed anniversary of sorts dinner. The two of us had been seeing each other, secretly of course, for just over three months now. We had been on the road when the day actually came, so we just waited till we had a few days off before we celebrated._

_ I knew Cody felt strongly for me but I didn't know if he felt as strongly as I did. I was completely in love with him. And I was going to show him how much I loved him, tonight. I was going to give him my most intimate gift. I was giving Cody all of me._

_ We stopped at the door as I dug out my keys. I turned to face him, taking his hand._

_ "Why don't you come inside with me? I know for a fact that you don't have anything scheduled tomorrow." I smiled up at him. He smiled back and kissed me softly. "Come inside?"_

_ "How can I resist a smile like that?"_

_ "You can't." I pulled him inside with me._

_ We __settled __ourselves __on __the __couch __in __front __of __the __TV. __I __let __Cody __flip __through __the __channels __as __I __snuggled __up __against __his __side. __He __finally __settled __on __a __show __that __I __barely __paid __attention __to. __I __was __so __nervous. __How __does __one __go __about __asking __her __boyfriend __to __have __sex __with __her __for __the __first __time? __For _her _first __time. __Yeah, __I __was __still __the __big__ '__V__'__. __I __knew __I __wanted __Cody __to __be __my __first __but __I __just __needed __to __find __the __words __to __say __it._

_ After about 45 minutes of watching some movie, I decided that now was the perfect moment to lay it all out there and go for it. I sat up and away from him._

_ "Cody?" He turned his head towards me._

_ "Emery?"_

_ "I feel bad. You bought me an amazing dinner and I didn't get you anything." He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear._

_ "Don't feel bad, Em. You don't have to give me anything."_

_ "That's the thing. I actually have something I want to give you." He grinned at me._

_ "Really? And what would that be?" I took the remote out of his hand and tossed it to the far end of the couch. I got up on my knees, climbed over and settled myself astride his lap. I pressed my chest tight against his as I kissed him deeply._

_ "Me." I started to press kisses along his jaw line, his hands sneaking up to lay flat against my back, holding me against him. "Make love to me Cody. Please...make me yours, tonight. I want to be yours in every way." Being held as close to him as I was, I felt his body harden at the mere thought of what I was offering._

_ "Are you sure that you're ready for our relationship to take that step, Em? Cause I know on my end, once we do, I'm gonna want you ALL the time. I mean, I already want you all the time, but now I'll know I can act on it whenever." I laughed at his nervous rambling as I kissed him, snaking my hands under his t-shirt, pushing it up and over his head._

_ "I'm sure. I'm more than sure." I gasped in surprise as he stood up with me still in his arms and headed back to my bed room, kissing me the entire trip. As he gently laid me on the bed and followed me down, pressing his deliciously heavy weight against me, I realized that I should probably tell him that I was still a virgin._

_ "Cody, I have to tell you something." He stripped me of my own shirt and tossed it to the floor, smiling down at me._

_ "Yes, Em." I smiled back at him._

_ "This is my first time." He laughed softly and dropped his head to nuzzle at my neck._

_ "Trust me, Em. I know it's our first time. I've been thinking about you and me together like this since the moment I met you." I placed a hand on either side of his face, lifting him away from my neck so I could look at him._

_"__No, __sugar. __It__'__s _MY _first __time.__" __Cody__'__s __eyes __got __big __when __he __realized __what __I __was __telling __him._

_ "That means you're still a..."_

_ "Yeah, I guess it does." Cody pushed back away from me and sat on his knees, my legs were still pressed tightly against the outside of his thighs._

_ "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like I pressured you into this..." Now, I sat up on my knees in front of him._

_ "You didn't. You know you didn't." He looked skeptical. I leaned in and kissed him. "I've been thinking about this since the first time I saw you too." I nibbled at his lips, wrapping my arms around him. "I want you, Cody. I want you to be the first." His hands slipped over my hips to rest at the small of my back._

_ "Are you sure, princess? Are you sure I'm the one you want?" I smiled and lay back on the bed, pulling him with me._

_ "Yes, it's you. Only you. It'll always be you. Make love to me, Cody." I repeated. He didn't stop this time. Within minutes, he had us both naked, worked up beyond reason and a condom on._

_ "Ready?" Cody whispered by my ear, kissing the sensitive skin there. I nodded, running my hands softly up and down his back, trusting him fully. I held my breath as he slowly, gently pressed himself inside of me. After a few shallow thrusts, the warm pleasure started to unfurl low in my belly. I moaned out his name as he slipped a hand in between our hips, touching me, driving me higher and higher until I screamed out his name when the pleasure exploded through my body. Cody picked that moment to plunge the rest of the way inside of me._

_ I flinched and made a soft noise of pain at the slight stinging pain. Cody felt me tense up. He kissed me softly, stroking my side with his fingertips, trying to comfort me._

_ "You okay, princess?" I nodded, telling the truth. The longer Cody stayed where he was, the more the pain faded. "I can stop. Just say the word Em. I'll stop if you want me to..."_

_ "No. Please, Cody." I arched my hips up against his. He groaned, my name mixed some where in the middle of it. I kept rocking my hips. The more I moved, the less I felt the original pain. "Don't stop Cody. Please...don't stop." He kissed me and started to move again. Slowly at first, gradually thrusting faster, deeper and just a bit harder. I moaned his name over and over as that perfect pleasure built up again and again until finally boiling over. I cried out Cody's name as my release rolled through me. A few seconds later, Cody's release hit him, making him moan out my name. He collapsed half on top of me, breathing just as hard as I was. He lazily lifted his head from where it was pressed against the side of my throat. He hit me with a beautiful lopsided grin. He caressed my cheek, tucking a lock of now sweaty hair behind my ear._

_ "I love you, Emmy." My heart swelled at his words. I had to smiled back at his choice of nicknames. No one but Cody and my mom called me that._

_ "Really? You do?" He laughed quietly and nodded._

_ "Yeah, I really do." I leaned up and kissed him, running my fingers deep into his hair._

_ "I love you too, Cody. I really, really love you." He laughed again._

_ "That's good cause I'm so in love with you, princess. I love you, Emmy. I love you, Emmy. I love you, Emmy." He kept repeating it over and over. Only the weird thing was, his mouth was curiously closed and he looked so incredibly sad._

_ Suddenly, Cody disappeared and the room went black._

I awoke with a jolt. Wow, how odd. I had never dreamt about the first time Cody and I made love. I wonder what made me dream that. I rolled over and reached out for Cody's arm. I wanted to tell him about the dream.

I only found empty space in the bed beside me. Hmm...maybe he was in the bathroom. I rolled back over and clicked on the light. My heart sank as I recognized where I was.

I closed my eyes and let the tears slip from beneath my lashes as the memory of me leaving hit me again, straight in my heart. I had no right to cry. I did this to myself, this self-imposed pain. But it was all for Cody. I wasn't good enough for him and I wasn't sure why I tried to lie to both of us and pretend that I was.

I wiped at the tears on my cheeks and glanced at the clock. Man, I had actually gotten three consecutive hours of sleep this time. That had to be some kind of record. The last two weeks had been hell and I was definitely feeling it. But I guess that's what happens when you're grieving. I was grieving for the loss of our baby that I would never get to hold, never get to love, hell, never even get to name. And, I was grieving for the loss of the love of the most amazing man in the universe.

I sighed and wiped at my cheeks again. I slipped my hand back under the covers, ready to toss them off, when my hand landed on something that felt out of place in my sheets. I gripped it and pulled it up so that I could see it. The tears that had started to subside started anew. It was Cody's shirt that I had taken from the house. I brought it up to my face. I was still able to smell the scent of him in the cotton.

I forced myself out of bed, still clutching Cody's shirt to me and made my way to my desk where I had set up my laptop. It was the only thing, besides some clothes, that I had taken with me. The thing had a huge folder on it full of pictures and videos of me and Cody's life together. I couldn't bring myself to open it again or delete it.

The first thing I had done when I set up my computer here was change the background. The last time we had been on tour in Paris, Cody and I had snuck away from everyone and went to the Eiffel Tower. The picture had been the two of us kissing in front of it. Before we had gone on the trip, I had told him that I always wanted a picture like that. I had said it in passing, but he made it happen for me.

The second thing I did was cancel my email account. Everyone I knew had that address. Including Cody. I needed to cut my ties completely and erase myself from their lives. I had already had a conversation with Mom and Dad. I had asked them, that if anyone called looking for me, that they hadn't seen me.

The first question out of my Dad's mouth, "Are you in some kind of trouble, kitten?"

"No Daddy. Just...things didn't work out like they were meant to and I don't want to go back. I need to get away from all that."

"Are you sure you're not on the run?" Dad joked with me.

"No, Daddy. Please just promise you will. Even if Fallon calls for me. Especially if Fallon calls." They both smiled and nodded.

"We promise."

While I waited the minute for my computer to boot up, I thought about the next morning. I had mentioned something to Mom and Dad about getting a job so that I had something to do during the day. Dad, an English professor at the local collage, the same college Fallon and I both went to, pulled some strings with his friend Gary. He owned and ran the small new/used bookstore right in the middle of campus. I loved that store. I used to hang out there between classes when I was in school. Well, Gary gave me a job. It was 10 to 6, Tuesday through Saturday. That was perfect. But maybe I would look into getting a second job a few nights a week, just to keep me busy. There were plenty of bars around campus. Surely I could get a job waiting tables at one of them.

Finally my computer came up. I went to my favorite search engine and typed in _'__How __to __deal __with __losing __a __baby__'_. I scanned through a couple of articles. One said to talk out your feelings with the baby's other parent. Well, that wasn't going to work. Another said to join a support group. Yeah, that so wasn't going to happen either. I came across one that would _actually _work for me. A journal. It didn't have to be daily, just when I needed it. That was exactly what I was looking for. I dug around in my old desk until I found a notebook that I had never used. I decided to play on a regular journal and use another idea that I had seen, letters. I closed my computer and flipped to the first page. I dated the top right hand corner. I took a deep breath and started to write.

_Dear __Baby,_

_ Hey there little one. It's me, your Mommy..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Three weeks. It had been three weeks since Emery left. Since she disappeared, leaving me with that letter. That letter that I couldn't seem to not have on me pretty much all the times. It was really the only connection I had left to her.

When Em left, she took most of her clothes and her laptop and left everything else at our home. The worst was that she left me no indication as to where she was going, no way to find her. She left her cell phone and cancelled her email address, almost like she didn't want to be found. And God knows I wanted to find her. I needed desperately to find her.

The four of us, me, Fallon, Randy and Ted, tried everyone we knew and everyone we knew that she knew, in an attempt to find her. Ted had called Mike for me to see if he had seen her. Of course, he hadn't. Fallon even called her parents, who neither she nor Emery had seen in nearly five years. Her mother told us she hadn't seen or spoken to Emery in almost a year. We had exhausted every other option. Her parents were our last hope.

That was the first time I had ever seen Fallon cry like that.

I pulled the letter out of my pocket and read through it again. Every time I did, I hoped I'd find some clue as to what she was trying to tell me had happened, what changed between us. I hoped it would show me where to find her. Again, nothing.

I put it back in my pocket and took out my phone to check the time. I had to be in the all staff meeting in an hour. Work was all I had going for me at the moment so I didn't want to screw it up. I pushed the button to pull up the screen. I got momentarily distracted when I saw the background picture I had. It was my favorite picture of Emery that I had on my phone. We had been in bed. She was curled up on her side, lying beside me, her head on the edge of the pillow and she was smiling softly at me as I snapped the picture. That smile reminded me of the first time I ever saw her, the day we met.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

_Randy, __Ted __and __I __were __sitting __in __Stephanie__'__s __office. __We __were __talking __about __upcoming __story lines. __My __character __had __just __turned __on __my __tag-team __partner, __Hardcore __(or __Bob) __Holly __to __team __up __with __Ted. __We __were __eventually __going __to __join __with __Randy__'__s __character __and __form __some __kind __of __group __that __still __didn__'__t __have __a __name. __This __was __big __for __me __and __Ted. __Sure, __both __of __us __had __our __last __names __to __fall __back __on __if __it __didn__'__t __work__out, __but __Randy __was __a __headliner. __Which __meant __that, __if __this __worked __out __the __way __it __should, __as __Randy__'__s __star __rose __higher, __ours __would __too, __just __by __association. __We __were __getting __our __big __push __much __like __he __had __at __the __beginning __of __his __career __when __he __joined __Evolution._

_ "One more thing to talk about before I let you guys go." Stephanie said. "Since we are getting ready to start this new storyline, Cody and Ted, your schedules are about to drastically change. I feel that you both qualify for the 'PA Program'."_

_ "Really?" Ted asked. "You think both Cody and I'll need an assistant?" Stephanie smiled. _

_ "Actually, since you will both be together for a majority of your time, I'm assigning you one assistant, to share. She will be exclusive to the two of you. You will be her only charges." She flipped through some papers on her desk. "Here it is. Her name is Emery Harper. She's got a degree in Business Management so she should be able to handle the two of you with no problems."_

_ "Emery? You got Emery?" Randy spoke up from behind me. We turned to look at him._

_ "You know her?" Ted asked. Randy grinned._

_ "She's Fallon's sister." Fallon was Randy's girlfriend and a Diva. We all turned towards the knock on the door. "You done with me Steph?" Randy asked, standing up._

_ "Yeah, you're done." Randy opened the door, blocking our view._

_ "Hey Em." Randy said, holding out his arms for a hug._

_ "Randy!" The female's voice said, completely surprised and obviously happy to see him as she hugged him. The rest of what she said was muffled by Randy's chest. He told her, 'yep, and I'll be around. You'll know where to find me if you need me.' He kissed her on the top of the head and stepped past her and headed out the door, she, Emery, I think, turned to watch him walk away. She stepped inside the office, shut the door and turned around to face us._

_ I lost the ability to breathe._

_ I was instantly smitten with this incredibly beautiful woman standing in front of us._

_ I was struck dumb when she smiled softly, kind of shyly. She walked towards us. Both Ted and I stood up to greet her. Yeah, we were raised good southern boys. Then she spoke._

_ "Hi. I'm Emery. It's a pleasure to meet you both." She had the sexiest voice I had ever heard. She had the same gently rolling southern accent that Fallon had, reflecting their Virginia roots. I was a goner._

_ She shook Ted's hand as he introduced himself. And then she came to me. When our hands touched, I felt it through my entire body._

_ "I'm Cody Runnels or Rhodes." She smiled again and stroked her thumb down the back of my hand. My body instantly reacted, like I was a 15 year old boy. All I can say is thank God I had my trunks on under my warmups. I was surprised that sparks didn't shoot between our hands as we pulled away from each other. _

_ "I know who you are, sugar." She turned and started to walk away. "I've been watching the both of you. Gotta know who I'm working with." As she got to the door, Emery turned and looked over her shoulder at me. "Oh, and Cody...I like when you wear your blue trunks." _

_ Oh shit. I was in some serious trouble._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I had been crazy in love with her ever since that day. And it hadn't diminished one bit since she had been gone. God, I needed to find her.

"Hi there Cody." The saccharin sweet voice said. I inwardly cringed. There was only one person that voice could belong to and I was in no mood to deal with her. I looked up anyway.

"Hey Barbie." Barbie Blanks, better known to the wrestling community as Kelly Kelly, was staring down at me. I had come out of the back of the building to be alone, but she just had to ruin my solitude. "Did you need something?" I asked. She smiled at me with that infamous stellar grin. It did nothing for me. I knew plenty of guys that thought she was hot. But me, I saw her for what she really was. As nice as Barbie came across, she was still a half-ass Diva that was quickly sleeping her way through the roster till she finally slept her way to the top. I wanted no parts of that. Much to my dismay, she sat down beside me.

"I heard you broke up with your girlfriend. I'm really sorry." She laid a hand on my bicep, slowly rubbing up and down. I moved my arm slightly, trying to let her know I was not comfortable with her touching me.

"Yeah..." That's all I could say. There was no way in hell I was going to spill a damn thing to the biggest gossip in the entire company. She got the hint about my arm, but I had to sigh as she put her hand on my knee. She pressed her ample plastic breasts into my side as she leaned in closer.

"It's a shame that she couldn't see you for the wonderful guy you are." She was trying to turn me on by rubbing her hand along my thigh.

"Come on Barbie." I tried to gently extract myself from her.

"I can make you forget all about her." Barbie whispered in my ear, her hand high on my thigh now.

"That's enough Barbie. And I don't want to forget her." I was starting to get irritated and pissed. I tried, unsuccessfully a few more times to disengage from her grasp. She stuck to me like superglue. I was fighting the urge to yell at her to leave me alone.

"I could be better for you than she ever was." Her hand made the dive to the inside of my upper thigh. "She was stupid for leaving you. I'll be good for you, Cody. She didn't deserve you or your love." That was it. I snapped. I shoved her back away from me and stood up.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Can't you take no for an answer?"

"But Cody..."

"Shut up! Just shut up! Don't you ever compare your ass to her. Emery is a better person than you'll ever be. She deserves everything." I got in her face as she stood up. "Emery will never be the whore you are. Stay the fuck away from me." The look on my face must have scared her. Barbie backed away quickly and ran back inside. The moment the door slammed shut behind her, I knew I screwed up.

I just told the WWE gossip about me and Emery. So not only was she probably on her way to tell Stephanie what I just did to her but I was pretty sure that every person backstage at RAW tonight was going to know that Emery was my girlfriend and that we weren't together anymore. I was more worried about the fact that people were going to know my business than the fact that I was actually getting in trouble for this.

Yeah, this was 'Strike One'.

**I would really appreciate if you keep the reviews coming. Please take a couple of seconds and let me know how I'm doing. Just a tip, the more reviews I get, the quicker I'll post the next chapter. Thanks! =^.^=**


	11. Chapter 11

**You guys are so amazing! I heart you all! I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to AngelsDestiny22, KimmieCena, angelshavetheirwickedschemes, psion53, Randy4rkocenahardy, ElleEnein, lookitsria, xDarlingNikki, adb226, and AmyFazz. You guys rock! \m/ (^.^) \m/ Here's chapter 10. Enjoy!**

Two Months Later:

"Thank you. Have a good day." I handed the gentleman his bag and smiled pleasantly at him. I held it in place till he let the door shut behind him and then I let the fake happiness fade from my face. I stepped from behind the counter and went back to working on the front tables.

I had been working for Gary for just over two months. I really liked my job. It and waiting tables at the bar two blocks away three nights a week, kept me busy. Kept my mind occupied.

"Hey, Emery." Gary walked into the front. "Nice display." He nodded towards the table I had been working all morning.

"Thanks." He patted my shoulder.

"You did a good job." He walked behind the counter to check on the totals so far. "We just got our shipment of magazines in. Would you put the new ones out and strip the old ones for me?"

"Sure." I headed to the back and rolled out the couple of boxes of new magazines out to the newsstand. When I would pull a new issue out of the box, I would take the previous months issue off the stand and replace it with the new ones. I would spend a few hours 'stripping' the cover off the old issues when I was finished. We would send those 'stripped' covers back to the distributor and get credit for the ones we didn't sell.

I worked steadily for awhile, humming along with the music that was playing overhead. I paused when I came to the WWE magazine. The six magazines were wrapped in plastic with a packing slip over the cover so I couldn't see who got it this month. I pulled the two we still had from last month.

I couldn't help the little smile that came across my face. Shawn Michaels and Triple H were smiling back at me. I sat them in the box of last month's issues and started to open the plastic surrounding the magazine. I pulled out the packing slip, wondering who was on the cover. Maybe it was John. Cena hadn't had the cover in about six or seven months. He was due another one. I laid the packing slip in the pile with the rest of them.

I grabbed the top of the magazine to pull them out of the plastic. I froze with them half way out when I noticed who was on the cover. The picture started to blur as my eyes filled up and I pulled them the rest of the way out. Thank God I was already sitting on the stool cause my knees would have failed me.

Legacy was smirking at me from the cover. All three of them. Randy, Ted...and Cody. I softly drew a fingertip across his picture, a couple of tears rolling down my face. I clutched the top magazine to my chest and quickly put the others away. I finished the last pack of magazines and cleared up my mess.

I ran back to the register and rang up the magazine. I went to the back, shoving it into my bag. I went and found Gary in the small kitchen.

"Gary, do you mind if I head home early today? I feel a migraine coming on. Is that okay?"

"Sure, Emery. You go on home and get some rest. Feel better, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks." As quickly as I could, I rushed to my car before I lost it. I sat in my car for a good five minutes, crying hard. I didn't realize that just seeing him would be this hard. Yeah, I cried all the way home.

Thank God, no one was at home. Dad had class until 4pm and normally spent an hour, an hour and a half in his office before he came home. Mom was the librarian at one of the local high schools, so she was still at school too, at least for another hour.

I went straight up to my room, locking the door behind me. I sat down on the foot of my bed. I took a deep breath and pulled the magazine out of my bag. I sucked back a sob when I flipped through it and came across their article. I wanted to read it but I couldn't stop looking at the picture of Ted and Cody on the second page. Just like I had at work, I stroked Cody's picture over and over, crying. God, I missed him so much. I rubbed at the hollow aching pain in my chest, the spot where my heart used to be. The heart I had left back in Marietta.

I sat there a good 15 minutes, crying my heart out before I could pull myself together. I knew what I needed. I got a pair of scissors off my desk and cut out the picture. I shoved the magazine under my bed. I sat down at my desk, opened my journal and started writing the newest letter. When I finished, I stuck the picture in that page and closed my journal.

Did I feel better? Maybe a little. Did I still miss Cody? God, yes. More than I had words for. I got up from my desk and crawled into bed. I found Cody's shirt that I kept hidden under my pillow. I clutched it to my chest as I curled into a ball and cried myself to sleep.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A month later:

Ted waited until Cody cleared the door before he got up. He knew Cody's saying 'I left my carry-on in the car' was just a ruse. He knew exactly what Cody was going to do. Ever since things had happened with Emery a little over four months ago, Cody had been going steadily down hill. He had become distant and sometimes confrontational. Ted thought for sure Cody and Randy were gonna come to blows when Cody picked a fight with Fallon. Now, she wasn't talking to him, at all. But lately he had been sneaking around and doing something he knew would piss Emery off.

Cody had been drinking. Not that Emery had a thing against drinking. She just didn't do it herself and she hated watching people getting drunk. She always said, 'There's no reason in the world to get so wasted that you can't control yourself or even remember what you did the night before. It's just stupid and a waste of time.' Just the thought of Emery...Ted knew how much he missed her. He couldn't even fathom how Cody felt. That was probably why he was doing what he was doing.

Every night after work, Cody had been drinking till he pretty much passed out. And for the last week or so, he had been slipping out to the back lot and drinking at work. He didn't get drunk. He would just say that he needed to take the edge off.

Ted had been trying to talk to Cody, trying to keep him from screwing up his career. He blew him off at every chance. Told him to fuck off repeatedly. To mind his own damn business.

Cody's downward spiral was not only destroying him, it was ruining his relationships with his co-workers and his friends.

Ted made his way down the hall quickly. He knew by doing this, he was risking losing his best friend but it was a risk he was willing to take. He knocked on the door to Stephanie McMahon's office. He opened the door and shut it behind himself. She looked up from her paperwork.

"Ted. What a surprise. Come in, sit down." She motioned to a chair near her desk. He shook his head.

"I won't be long. I'm...I..." He cleared his throat. "I'm worried about Rhodes. I don't want to tell on him cause this isn't Junior High but I think you need to go talk to him. He's in the lot behind the arena where we parked this afternoon."

"Ted, what's going on?" Ted shook his head again.

"He needs to get caught. That's the only way he'll see he has a problem."

"Ted..." He opened the door.

"I gotta go." Ted was gone before she could say another word. Stephanie sighed. That was completely out of character for Ted. She stood up. Because that was so out of character, she decided she should at least do him the courtesy of checking it out.

Stephanie made her way down the halls, speaking to people here and there. She found the door leading outside to where Ted had directed her. She opened the door and walked through the maze of production trucks. Just as she cleared the last truck, she caught sight of Cody. He was standing at the trunk of one of the rentals. Thinking of how grateful she was that she picked today to wear her soft sole flats, she walked closer.

The closer she got the more it was obvious what he was doing. She recognized the small little tale-tell bottles that Cody lifted to his mouth, quickly emptying the liquid inside. Cody was drinking during work hours. She needed to put a stop to this, right now.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I dug in my carry-on looking for my stash. I found it, in the bottom of my bag, snug, wrapped up in one of Emery's shirts that I found in my bag about two months ago. Every time I saw it, I dug into the tiny bottles again. I knew I shouldn't be drinking. Emery never drank. But I needed it. I needed the buzz to dull this pain. The constant aching pain deep in my chest every time I saw that shirt, every time I thought about her. And I thought about her nearly every second of every day. The only time I didn't was when I was in the ring. I focused on my job and thought about nothing but the sound of the crowd and my next move. At the end of the night, I drank till I didn't think about anything. Even my beautiful Emery.

I took out three bottles, not even looking at what they were. I downed the first one quickly, cringing at the taste as it burned its way down my throat. I cracked the second one, drinking it just as quickly. I had this weird feeling of someone watching me but I brushed it off. I repeated the actions with the third. I headed to the dumpster to toss the empties/evidence. Just as I was about to throw them in, someone called my name…

"Cody?" I froze, mid-toss, with the bottles still in my hand. If that voice belonged to who I thought it did...

I dropped my hand and slowly turned to find Stephanie standing behind me. Shit.

"What are you doing Cody?" She looked down at my hand, still clutching the bottles.

"Oh...ah...I was just cleaning out the car. Had these in my bag."

"How much have you had today, Cody?"

"What? None." She shook her head like she didn't believe me. "Really. I haven't..."

"I saw you drink the last two. You know better than this Cody. What the hell are you thinking?" I dropped my head.

"More like trying not to think." I mumbled. Stephanie stepped up close to me, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"I know. This is rough, I know but you can't do this to yourself." She stopped for a second and hit me with the guilt bomb. "She wouldn't want this for you." I couldn't say anything in my own defense. "You know this is grounds for immediate termination, right?" I nodded, knowing I had done this to myself no matter what my head told me. My heart would never let me blame Em for this. Ever. "We've known each other for a long time haven't we?" Again, I just nodded. "So that's why I'm gonna approach this as a friend and not your boss. Go back to the hotel and sleep it off. I'll write you out for tonight. I'll tell everyone you're sick." She physically lifted my head so that she could my face. "Don't ever let me catch you drinking at an arena again. You know there's no next time, right?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm sorry." She just hugged me quickly and walked away. I had barely gotten out of that.

Damn it! Strike two.

**I would really appreciate if you keep the reviews coming. Please take a couple of seconds and let me know how I'm doing. Since you guys are awesome, as soon as I get my 10****th**** review for this chapter, I'll post the next one. Thanks! =^.^=**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, y'all kick serious ass! You guys are so amazing! I heart you all! I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to AngelsDestiny22, KimmieCena, angelshavetheirwickedschemes, psion53, Randy4rkocenahardy, lookitsria, xDarlingNikki, xMyHeartShine, Xandman216, and AmyFazz. You guys rock! \m/ (^.^) \m/ Here's chapter 12. Enjoy!**

A Month Later:

Caroline Harper headed up the stairs with a basket of freshly laundered clothes. Her first stop was Emery's room. She sighed sadly at the thought of her.

Emery had come home about six months ago. Something had happened to make her come home but she wasn't sharing. Actually, she wasn't doing much talking at all. She had changed. Yeah, Caroline expected Emery to grow up more and mature while she had been away and living with Fallon. But this was different. Her little girl wasn't herself anymore. She wanted to find out who hurt her and personally ring their necks.

She nudged the door open with her hip and walked into the room. As she made her way into the room to lay Emery's clothes on the foot of her bed, she felt her hip catch on something hanging off the edge of Emery's desk. She heard it hit the floor. She set the clothes on the foot of the bed and turned to pick it up. It seemed to be some type of notebook. It had fallen open to a page with a picture stuck in the page.

Caroline retrieved the notebook off the floor, noticing that the picture was cut out of some magazine. She flipped it over and instantly recognized the two men on the opposite side.

Caroline and Nathan watched RAW faithfully every week. Even though the two of them didn't agree with Fallon's decision at the time she left to join the company, they still supported their oldest daughter. They were her biggest fans. One half of their office downstairs was dedicated to her career. Because of that, she recognized Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes. Why would Emery have a picture of them in her journal?

She glanced at the journal entry that the picture was with. It was dated for about two months ago. She didn't want to read it. She really didn't but couldn't seem to help herself.

_Hi Baby,_

_It's Mommy again. Sorry I haven't written in a while. It's not that I haven't thought about you, I have. It's just...I saw Daddy today. Not him physically. It was just his picture but it still felt the same. It hurt so bad to see him Baby. I miss him so much. More than I ever thought I would. Thinking about how I lost you both, I feel almost dead inside. My heart doesn't beat the same as it used to._

_I wish I could have seen you, or held you. I wish I had known you were there before you were gone. I would have loved to see you in your Daddy's arms._

_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I let you and Daddy down. I wish I could have been the Mom you deserved._

_Love Always,_

_Mommy_

Caroline read the letter three times before it finally dawned on her that Emery was writing this letter to her baby. A baby that she lost. And it seemed that either Ted DiBiase or Cody Rhodes was the father.

She glanced at the clock. Emery had told her that she would be home around 7pm tonight. And Nathan had meetings till about the same time. It was just after 5pm. She pulled out the chair from the desk and sat down. Flipping to the front of the journal and began to read. Caroline stared to cry softly as she started to get the whole story of what happened.

Emery had been pregnant and didn't know until she had lost it during an emergency surgery. She had been so distraught, that in her mind, the father of the baby would have never forgiven her for having the miscarriage. So she wrote a letter, packed her things and left either Ted or Cody.

It was also quiet obvious that she had been and more than likely was still head over heels, ridiculously in love with which ever one it was. Her little girl was hurting and it was obvious that she needed to be with the man she loved and not here with her and Nathan.

With the sole intent to help her own baby, Caroline started to search the desk to see if she could find out who 'Daddy' was. She couldn't find anything. She slid the journal back on the desk, bumping the cordless mouse for Emery's laptop, bringing up her screen. The picture on the background was one that she had clearly taken herself. It was of the surf at some beach but in the foreground, it was two sets of feet. One was Emery's, she recognized the small star tattoo on the inside of her ankle, and the other set was definitely male, more than likely her boyfriend's. That gave Caroline an idea.

Knowing Emery like she thought she did, she knew that Emery probably had a bunch of pictures saved on her computer. Sure enough, she found a file marked 'Pics&Stuff' in the upper left hand corner. She took a deep breath and clicked on the file. The file held hundreds of pictures and a few videos. The pictures were of either them together or just him. She clicked on one picture that seemed to go with her beach background.

The picture was of them curled up on a towel, her pressed against his side with his arm around her shoulder, holding her close. It was one of those pictures that you could tell they had taken themselves.

Emery looked so happy wrapped up in Cody Rhodes' arms. Their body language and the happiness on their faces proved what she already suspected. The two of them were completely and utterly in love with each other.

Caroline clicked through a few more pictures. In each one, they looked just as happy and in love than the last one. She clicked on the first video.

The inside of some bedroom came into view. This wasn't a hotel room. This room looked lived in. It must have been their bedroom in their home. The camera panned to the bed where Cody was propped up against the headboard with some kind of controller in his lap. He was shirtless, in some longer nylon shorts and his hair was damp. He must have just gotten out of the shower. He looked up as Emery spoke to him.

"Cody." She said in a sing songy voice. "Wave to the camera, sugar."

"Awe, come on Em. Why don't you go film the neighbors or something?" Cody set his controller to the side as Emery walked closer.

"But the neighbors aren't as yummy as you are, sugar." She said in a pouty voice. He grinned at the camera and crooked a finger at her. She walked closer and he grabbed her, making her laugh. The video shook as he pulled her into the bed with him. A few seconds later, Cody's face came back into focus. He laughed with her softly.

"I knew getting you this camera for your birthday was a bad idea." Emery laughed again.

"Yes it was."

"Come on, princess. Put it away." Emery giggled.

"Nope." The camera jostled a little bit and then flew to the foot of the bed. The shot now showed Cody pulling Emery close and kissing her. As he started to kiss down the side of her neck, she pushed at him.

"Code, wait." She smiled up at him. "I think the camera's still on." The video ended with Cody crawling to the end of the bed and clicking it off.

Caroline closed the file and sat back in the chair, again wiping the tears from her eyes. That video just cinched it. She knew what she had to do. It may make Emery mad at first but she would take the chance. She knew she had to find Cody and bring him back to Emery.

Caroline first called WWE Headquarters thinking by some slim chance they might tell her how to get in touch with Cody. The girl who answered the phone just laughed at her until she hung up on her.

She racked her brain, trying to think of anyway to reach Cody. She contemplated figuring out where RAW was tonight and calling the arena and see if they would get him on the phone. That failed when the call went directly to an answering service.

She got up and paced the office, hoping something would come to her. Her gaze landed on a framed picture on Nathan's side of the desk. It was a picture of him and Emery. It made her think, had she met Cody's parents? Did they like her? How did they feel about Emery and Cody's relationship?

Caroline stopped mid-step. Cody's parents. She knew that Cody's father was the legendary Dusty Rhodes. She remembered reading somewhere that Dusty helped with talent scouting and training at WWE's 'minor league' FCW and stayed in Flordia part time. She sat back down at her computer and pulled up their website. It took her all of two minutes to find an office number for a 'D. Runnels'. She quickly dialed the number, praying that he might be in the office, that this might fall into his part time, knowing the odds were slim to none.

She jumped when the line clicked, connecting the call.

_"Yeah?"_

"Mr. Runnels?"

_"Yes. Who is this?"_

"You don't know me but my name is Caroline Harper."

_"Okay..."_

"Emery Harper is my daughter." Dusty was quiet on his end.

_"Is she okay?" _He asked after a few seconds.

"Yeah. For the most part. She's here with me and her father." Dusty sighed deeply.

_"I should be angry. I want to be angry at her. She destroyed my son when she left. Cody hasn't been the same. But all I can do is wonder if Emery's okay. Do you know why she did it? Do you know why she left?"_

"Em didn't tell me but I found out." Caroline debated with herself as to whether to tell him but she figured he deserved to know. She spilled everything she had found out in Emery's journal.

_"Oh hell."_

"I know. She thinks it was the right thing to do." They were both quiet for a minute. "Emery needs him. No matter what she says, she needs him."

_"He needs her too. Boy does he need her."_

"I don't think that we should be the ones to tell him what happened." Dusty agreed with her. "But I would like to be the one to call him. Does he have a cell number that I can call him at?"

_"Yeah. You got a pen?" _He rattled off the number. The ended the call with a promise to speak to each other again soon.

Caroline looked at the number in her hand. She had the key to help her baby girl. Now, she just needed to know if she cared about Cody the way she thought she still did.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I came home a lot later than I expected. I didn't have anything to do on Mondays so I decided to go for a drive. Halfway across town, I decided to go to DC. Hoping to take in a museum or two. Which I did. I was driving through the city about to leave when I got stuck in traffic. It seemed as though one of the lanes was blocked. I came up on the reason and forgot to breathe. I was right near the arena in the center of the city and the lane was blocked by a WWE truck. I hadn't realized that they were in town. I noticed a couple of crew guys I knew taking some equipment out of the truck. They were the RAW crew.

That meant that Cody was close by. He was maybe a block or two away from where I was sitting. The urge to park my car, find a way into the arena, find Cody and beg his forgiveness was overwhelming. But I was sure that I was no longer something he thought about. I knew in my heart that he had moved on to someone better for him. As soon as I could, I shot through traffic and hit the highway, putting as many miles as I could between us.

I didn't want to do anything but take a shower and curl up in bed. But my wonderful mother had other plans. She met me at the door.

"Have you eaten yet, sweetheart?" There was a weird tone to her voice. The tone she used to use to soothe me and Fallon when we were upset.

"No, Momma but I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat. Come on." She started to steer me towards the den. "The pizza will be here any second." She pretty much pushed me into the sofa. Right on cue, the doorbell rang. Dad looked up from the papers he was sorting through in his lap.

"How was your day, kitten?" He asked. I'd never really tell him the truth. I'd never tell him that I nearly broke into the arena in DC, hunted Cody down and threw myself at his feet.

"Fine Daddy. How about you?"

"Good kitten. It was good." Mom walked back in with the pizza and some paper plates.

"Switch it over, Nathan. The show is getting ready to start." She slid a slice on a plate and plate and handed it to me. I looked up quickly as I recognized the beginning stands of the theme song I knew very well. RAW was getting ready to start.

"Your sister has a title match tonight." Mom told me.

"That's good." As the show started and superstars came out, she asked about them. About how I liked them. I gave her short little answers like, 'they're nice', 'she's very sweet'. Not wanting to be in the room at all, I tried to leave numerous times but she kept talking to me to keep me there. Then, the moment I had hoped I'd be long gone before happened. Randy's music hit.

"Wow, Fallon looks wonderful tonight doesn't she, Em?" She nudged me with her elbow till I looked up at the TV. I sucked in a silent breath as I not only saw Randy and Fallon, but Ted and Cody were following behind them.

"Yeah, she does." Fallon was looking at Randy with such love in her eyes. I was instantly jealous. Damn them, but they didn't have to hide their love.

"Is he good to her?" Dad asked, nodding to the screen showing Fal and Randy.

"He's an amazing guy, Daddy. He treats her like a queen. You'd really like him."

"What about that Ted?" Mom asked. I smiled softly.

"Teddy's one of my best friends."

"Did you ever date him? He's quiet the cutie."

"No, Momma, I pretty sure his wife wouldn't like that. Especially since Rebecca is my best friend outside of the company." She just nodded. I had to fight back tears as I saw Cody take the mic. Call me weird if you want to but I love the sound of his voice. I found his lisp quiet adorable. I also knew for a fact that when Cody was nervous or worked up over something, the lisp became more pronounced and obvious. When he was relaxed and confidant in what he was doing, it was barely noticeable. Well, at least to me anyway. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize Mom had been asking me a question.

"Emery?" I shook myself out of my thoughts.

"Yes?" She smiled at me.

"What about that Cody Rhodes? I've read things that say he's incredibly sweet despite the character he portrays." I looked down at my plate of half eaten pizza, again, fighting back the tears. I placed the plate on the table and stood up. I couldn't take it anymore.

"He was perfect, Momma. He was perfect in every way." With one last look at Cody on the screen, I excused myself so I could have my breakdown alone.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The Next Night:

I didn't want to be here tonight. My mood was terribly foul and I didn't want to be around anyone. I just wanted to wallow in it alone. Tonight was exactly six months since Emery left. This day couldn't be over fast enough.

I had a feeling that nothing good was going to come from this day. I knew I was being short and pissy with people, alienating my friends and co-workers, but I couldn't seem to find it in myself to give a fuck. I was just here to do my job and then go back to my cold quiet hotel room alone and repeat the same shit the next day. That was all I had left in my life.

I was begrudgingly following behind Ted, Randy and Fallon on our way to a very busy catering. It was a Smackdown tonight but both shows were in attendance. That meant everyone and their brother was in catering. I didn't have to look around to know that people were staring at me.

By now, because of my blow up at Barbie a few months ago, everyone knew that Emery and I had been together and that she left me. They all assumed it was something I had done to her. God how I wish that were true. Then maybe I could fix it and get her back. Yeah, well, I kinda had to know where she was first to do that.

I was brought out of my thoughts by a hand on my arm. I stared at it for a second before I looked up and found that the hand belonged to Mike. Of all people. I didn't want to see him much less talk to him. Like he seemed to want.

"What?" I asked, my shitty attitude oozing from that one word.

"Look Rhodes, I heard what happened with Emery. I'm really sorry. I'm sorry things went down the way they did. I wish I could go back and change things, but...yeah...I miss her, man. She was such a good friend." He leaned in closer to me. "I wish she was here too." I don't know how I was supposed to take that comment but I'm pretty sure, looking back, my reaction wasn't the right one.

I slapped his hand off my arm and drew back and punched him right in the face. It threw him off balance and I used his own momentum to tackle him to the ground. He didn't defend himself as I dropped hit after hit. He just put his arms up, blocking.

"Fuck you, Mike. Fuck you for saying her name like you have the right. For thinking about her." I didn't stop. I wouldn't have stopped if Ted, Randy and Cena hadn't pulled me off. I fought them. I fought them all the way to Stephanie's office. I stopped when they forced me into the chair across from her. I silently fumed as the three of them defended Mike. According to them, Mike had been sincere in his apology. I severely overreacted and went off unnecessarily. Stephanie just nodded and made them leave. As they filtered out it hit me, this was my Strike Three. I was about to be out.

"Cody." She just shook her head. "No more. I can't let this go on anymore. You got 10 days. Go home. Get you head and heart back into this, Cody. I can't have you here when you're like this. I'm sorry. Go home, Cody."

Two hours later, I paced across my hotel room again. Was I angry? You're fuckin' right I was angry! How could they do that to me? They knew what Emery meant to me. They knew what my job meant to me. Now...I had nothing.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the number. 804? Where the hell was the area code 804? I almost didn't answer it. But something told me to.

"What?" I knew I didn't sound friendly.

_"Is this Cody Runnels?" _It was a woman's voice. She kinda sounded like my Mom.

"Yeah. Who is this? How did you get this number?"

_"This is Caroline Harper." _That name triggered something in my brain but I didn't connect it to anything.

"Okay, so why are you calling me?"

_"Cody, I'm Emery's Mom." _I felt the blood rush out of my head as I dropped to sit on the foot of the bed, my knees giving out on me. I couldn't speak as the worst possible thoughts slammed into me. Oh Jesus. Had something happened..._"Cody, honey? Are you still there?"_

"Ah..." I had to try three times before I could speak. "Yeah. Emery, is she...where..." She took pity on my inability to speak.

_"She's here, in Virginia, with me and her father. She's been here with us the whole time." _That was a huge weight off my shoulders. At least she had been safe and with people who loved her.

"Is she okay?" I asked softly. I could hear her start to sniffle like she was crying_._

_"Physically, yes, she's fine. But in her heart...Cody, she needs you. Can you come here to her?" _I didn't hesitate.

"Yes. Where are you?" She told me and I quickly wrote it down.

_"Please Cody. My little girl needs the man she loves." _I stood up and started packing my stuff.

"I'm on my way, Mrs. Harper. I'm on my way."

**I would really appreciate if you keep the reviews coming. Please take a couple of seconds and let me know how I'm doing. Since you guys are awesome, as soon as I get my 10th review for this chapter, I'll post the next one. You all seem to like that so I'll keep it up for the last few chapters. Thanks! =^.^=**


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay, y'all kick serious ass! You guys are so amazing! I heart you all! I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to xMyHeartShine, Randy4rkocenahardy, lookitsria, rkocya, KimmieCena, angelshavetheirwickedschemes, AngelDestiny22, ElleEnein, professional-smiler, Xandman216, WWELover27, xDarlingNikki and my lovely psion53. You guys rock! \m/ (^.^) \m/ Here's chapter 13. Enjoy!**

I felt like a stalker. I had been sitting in my rental, since 10am, across from the small bookstore. I watched Emery interact with the customers and pretend to smile. I knew it was fake. Her heart wasn't in it. When she _really _smiled, it lingered on her face even when the person walked away. Plus, her nose did this sexy little wrinkling thing…yeah, I walked by the front window of the store a couple of times, no wrinkle.

Now, it was about 6:30pm and the store's lights were out for the night and Emery and some guy were locking the front door. He patted her on the shoulder and watched her, like I did, walk the four blocks to the small bar near the middle of the college campus.

This must be where she worked a few nights a week. When I got into town and checked into the hotel downtown that we always stayed in when we came to Richmond, I called Mrs. Harper to let her know I was here. She told me about where Emery was working and what her schedule was. She also told me that she and Mr. Harper, the next night, were going out of town for a conference. When she informed me that there was a spare key under the ceramic frog on the front step, I formed my plan.

I moved my rental across the street from the bar. I watched Emery come out from behind some swinging doors. She was finishing putting her hair up in a ponytail. She had changed into a formfitting deep scoop neck t-shirt with the bar's name across her chest. The owner of this bar had to be a guy, making her wear a shirt like that. I watched as she made her rounds and I figured out what sections of the bar she was working.

I waited until nearly 11pm before I just couldn't take it anymore. I reached into the backseat to grab my carry-on. I dug through it till I found my baseball hat. It was the Braves hat that she had gotten me. I would easily blend in with the rest of the college guys filtering in and out. Quickly making my way across the street, I pulled my hat low as I stepped inside. One of the waitresses stopped in front of me.

"Take a seat anywhere. One of us will be with you in a minute." I just nodded and headed to a seat I hadn't seen Emery touch all night. The same waitress came over and took my order. When she brought back the bottle of beer, I scooted my seat around under the pretense that I wanted to see the television. But in reality, it was so I could see Emery. Every second I was in the same room with her was another second I had to seriously fight the urge to storm across the room and take her into my arms and beg her to come back to me. But I needed answers first. I needed to know why.

I nearly broke when she ended up waiting on the table beside mine. I closed my eyes at the sound of her voice. God, how I missed her voice.

At quarter to two in the morning, they yelled out for last call. The bar was closing in 15 minutes. I had paid my bill about a half an hour ago and was still nursing my second beer. I didn't want to leave. I hadn't seen my waitress since I paid. There was only me and two other people in the bar. Tiff, my waitress must have gone home.

I jumped when a hand touched my shoulder softly.

"Is there anything else I can get you tonight, dear? It's last call." I dropped my head so I didn't look up into Emery's face and give myself away.

"Nope." I mumbled.

"Okay then. Just let me know. You still have 15 minutes." I nodded. She seemed to hesitate. I sighed deeply when she finally walked away. I stood up quickly and dug into my wallet, pulling out the first bill I came to. I dropped the $50 on the table and headed for the door. "Have a good night." She called out. It was my turn to hesitate. I nearly turned around. I forced myself out the door and back across the street. God, I needed tomorrow afternoon to be here right now.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I sighed in relief as I pulled up in front of the house. I wanted to take a shower and then take a nap, in that order. For some reason, I got lucky and Gary sent me home early. It wasn't that busy so he told me to head out. I didn't argue. He was also making me take off the next two days. I guess he thought I was going out of town with Mom and Dad. They were heading down to Charlotte for some conference that Dad went to every year. I would have the house to myself for a couple of days. I was thankful too. I was actually pretty tired.

I really hadn't slept too well the night before. I kept thinking about the last customer in the bar. I felt like I knew him from somewhere. The worst part was, from the little bit I could see, his profile reminded me of Cody. So much so, that I had dreamt of him, all night. Leading me to not get much sleep at all.

I gathered my bag and headed inside. The house was quiet. Mom and Dad must have already left. I realized I was right when I found the note on the table by the stairs. It was in Mom's handwriting telling me that she and Dad would miss me and if I needed it, she had cooked and frozen me a couple of dinners. She ended with how much she and Dad loved me and they would see me in a couple of days. I laid the note back down and headed upstairs.

I pushed open my door and flicked on the light. I set my bag down by my desk and turned my back to the room, kicking my shoes off in front of my closet. I pulled my t-shirt up and over my head and tossed it back behind me on the bed. I walked into the bathroom. I flipped on the light and pulled out my towel and washcloth. I realized that I hadn't brought a change of underwear in with me. I stepped back into my room and froze in my tracks.

I was seriously losing it. I had started seeing things. My mind must be gone. I blinked my eyes a few times. I thought maybe he would disappear and my heart would break again. But he didn't.

Cody was sitting on the side of my bed, rubbing the fabric of the shirt that I had thrown on the bed between his fingers and his thumbs. I couldn't breathe. Was it really him?

"C…Cody?" He slowly looked up at me. He visibly swallowed hard.

"Emery." He said softly. The sound of his voice right there in the room with me hit me directly in the chest.

"What…how? How did you find me?" He looked back down.

"I got a phone call that told me where you were." Who knew…Mom. It had to be Mom. That's what all the questions had been about the other night. She knew. God knows how she found Cody's number though. In my head I knew, to get him to leave, I had to keep my walls up, no matter how badly I wanted him to stay. No matter how badly I want to run to him and throw myself into his arms.

"What are you doing here?" I asked again, trying to make my voice as icy as possible.

"I need to know. I need to know why." I wrapped my arms around my bare stomach, unconsciously hiding the couple of faded scars around my belly button.

"Why?" He looked back up at me. I could see the hurt lingering in his eyes.

"Why you did this?" The hurt morphed into something akin to anger. "Why you thought you should pack up and leave in the middle of the night? Leaving me with nothing but this," he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded up piece of paper, "this fuckin' letter. This letter that I've a thousand times, just trying to figure out what made you do it."

"Cody…I did it for you." He stood up.

"That's bullshit! You did this for you!"

"No…it was what you needed. I know you won't want me anymore."

"Are you psychic now? How the hell do you know what I want? What I need?"

"I know you. I know what you want from life and I promise you it's not me and my problems." He shook his head.

"How fuckin' self-center and selfish can you be?" I blinked in surprise and hurt. Cody had never spoken this harshly to me before. "You think this is all about you and your issues? It's not. It's about you and me." He patted his chest. "It's about me too, damn it! Do you know what I went through while you were gone?" I shook my head. "Hell. I went through pure hell. I didn't know where you were, if you were okay. I didn't know if it was something I did."

"It wasn't something you did." I said.

"Then what was it?" I looked down at the floor. "Damn it! What is so damn bad that you thought that it would be better to just pack up and destroy everything we built in our three years together?" I shook my head, fighting the tears.

"I can't tell you."

"Really? I thought you loved me like I love you. I thought you loved what we had together."

"I did. I still do." He ran his hand into his hair.

"Then why won't you tell me?" I hugged myself tighter.

"I don't want you to hate me." He threw his hands up in the air.

"Damn it! With this shit again? How do you know how I would react, huh? You didn't even give me a fucking chance." He walked back towards the bed, stopping his pacing. "I can't take this Emery. You're killing me. I can't do this anymore. Just…tell me so we can move on. So I can try and let you go."

"Cody…" Before I could work up another excuse he spun back around.

"No! No more bullshit excuses! Tell me! Just tell me damn it!" I lost my battle with the tears and gave in.

"Fine! You wanna know? Okay then. I lost it. I was going to have a baby before I went into the hospital. But I lost the baby. I lost our baby." I saw Cody stiffen as I told him. Every bit of anger drained out of his face. I could tell the information hit him hard. But what he said was true. He had the right to know everything. "I didn't know I was pregnant at the time. But now, I can't have children. I'll never be able to give you the family you want. The family we both wanted."

Cody sat back down on the side of my bed and dropped his head.

"Oh God…Emery." I couldn't resist not touching him anymore. I walked over the few steps to stand in front of him. I touched the back of his head, softly running my fingers through his hair.

He leaned into me, laying his forehead against my stomach. His hands came around to the back of my thighs, pulling me closer. His hands slipped up to my lower back, holding me as I stroked his hair. I was sure this was the last time I would ever get to be close to him again.

"Why didn't you say anything? You could have told me." He said softly.

"I didn't want to burden you with it." He looked up at me.

"It wouldn't have been. You could never be a burden to me."

"I didn't want you to feel like I felt. I truly thought I was saving you from pain."

"Just thinking of you going through the pain and sorrow of losing a baby…our baby alone…it breaks my heart. I would have been there for you, Emmy. I would have been there through all of it." I nodded as the tears crept down my cheeks. He pressed his face back against my stomach.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I did this to us. I never meant to hurt you."

"I know, princess. I know you didn't." He was quiet for a while before he looked back up again. "You know this doesn't change anything between us, right?" My heart broke into a thousand pieces again. The little hope I had when I had seen him sitting there just disappeared. The damage I had done was irreversible. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I could speak.

"I understand." I slowly took my hands away from his head and tried to step back, but he held me close, not letting me go. He pressed his forehead back against my skin.

"Good." I stroked the back of his head down to his neck again. I just needed to touch him. "I'm glad you understand. Cause I don't think I could have taken another day without you." I stiffened in shock. Did he really say that? Did he really mean it? He must have felt me stop moving. Cody sat back a little bit with his hands resting on my hips. "I was a mess while you were gone. I started drinking and I was fighting with everyone." He gave me a half grin. "I just got suspended for 10 days for beating up Mike when he told me he was sorry. And, I'm pretty sure your sister hates me." I shook my head.

"No one could ever hate you." I said softly. "Why would you think that?"

"She thought it was something I did to make you leave." He smiled up at me. "How happy is Fallon gonna be when she finds out that I found you? And I'm bringing you home." I started to cry again as I realized what he was saying. I slowly sank down to my knees in front of him. Now we were nearly face to face.

"Home? You want me to come home?" He nodded. "You still want me? After everything?"

"It's more than want Emmy. I need you. I need you in my life, with me. You're my missing piece." He laid a hand on each cheek. "My other half."

"What about a family? I know you want a family."

"I would gladly spend a lifetime without children as long as I don't have to spend another day without you." He kissed me softly. "I love you, Emery. Not some illusion of a future family. You. Only you." I threw my arms around his neck, kissing him deeply, putting all the emotions I was feeling into it. "We can talk about having a family later. There's always adoption, princess." I kissed him again.

"I don't want to ever be without you, Cody." I kissed him repeatedly after every couple of words. "I really thought I was doing the right thing by letting you go. I wasn't prepared for how badly it was going to hurt us both." He pulled me close. "I love you so much." I crawled up in his lap. Cody buried a hand in my hair and wrapped his other arm around my waist. "I want to come home. Please let me come home. I need to be with you too. Only you, Cody."

"Yes, Emmy. Yes." He tucked me closer, my hips pulled tight against his. We both moaned softly at the feeling. "It's been so long, princess." He said against my lips before leaning back away from me so that he could give me that smile I loved so much. "We'll go home tomorrow."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later, hours later (we had lots of 'catching up' to do) we lay curled up in bed together. I was wearing the button-up shirt that Cody had shown up in and he was wearing his boxers. The only reason we were dressed is because we had ventured down to the kitchen for food.

I just hope Mom never found out what we did in her kitchen. Twice. Once against the sink and once on the breakfast table. Sorry Mom.

Cody smoothed the hair away from the back of my neck. He softly stroked my skin down my nape, down into the top of my borrowed shirt. I doodled imaginary images against his chest with my fingertip. We had been quiet for the last few minutes after filling each other in on everything we had missed from each other's lives.

"You know," Cody said, "that week that you…got sick, when we were home?" I nodded, my cheek sliding against his naked chest. "I had a whole romantic night planned out for us." I lifted my head to look at him. He tucked some of my hair behind my ear.

"You did? Why?" He grinned.

"Cause I had something I wanted to do." I grinned back at him, thinking we were in for another round of love making.

"Really?" He nodded. "And what might that have been?" He leaned up and kissed me. He pushed me back just enough so that he could slid out of the bed. I sat up, dropping my legs over the edge. I watched Cody dig into a pants pocket and come out with something in his fist. He walked back over to me. He smiled at me as he dropped to his knees in front of me. He reached out and took both of my hands in his. He took a deep breath and let it go slowly, like he was fighting nerves. Suddenly I had a thought, as he stroked the backs of my hands with thumbs. Was he about to do what I thought? He took a deep breath again. This time when he smiled at me, he was totally calm.

"I still remember the first day I met you. That day, I knew, it was you. It's always been and will always be you. I swear I never thought I would need someone as much as I need you."

I want to marry you because you're the first person I want to see when I wake up in the morning and the only one I want to kiss good night. Because the first time I saw these hands," he lifted them to his lips, kissing the back of each one, "I couldn't imagine not being able to hold them."

I'm sure it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard. We're going to have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, every day. Just you and me, every day."

I want you forever, forever and always. Through the good and the bad and the ugly." Cody picked up the little velvet box and popped it open, revealing the most beautiful barely purple engagement ring. I started to cry. "Marry me Emery Harper. Marry me. Be with me forever, princess."

"Cody…" He took the ring out of the box. He picked up my left hand again.

"Princess?" I smiled so big, I felt like my cheeks were going to split. I could careless. I nodded.

"Is there an answer bigger than yes?" He slipped the ring on my finger. It was a perfect fit. Just like us. Cody wrapped his arms around me.

"I love you, Emmy." He kissed me.

"I love you too, Cody." I pulled back. He smiled as he used the knuckle of his forefinger to wipe away my still falling tears. "I'm going to do my best to make you happy. I want to make you so happy." He cupped my cheeks, kissing me deeply.

"You already do, princess. More than I could ever imagine." He kissed me again. "You already do."

**I ****would really appreciate if you keep the reviews coming. Please take a couple of seconds and let me know how I'm doing. Since you guys are awesome, as soon as I get my 10th review for this chapter, I'll post the next one. You all seem to like that so I'll keep it up for the last few chapters. Thanks! =^.^=**


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, y'all kick serious ass! You guys are so amazing! I heart you all! I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to lookitsria, xMyHeartShine, angelshavetheirwickedschemes, my lovely psion53, AmyFazz, KimmieCena, AngelsDestiny22, Xandman216, redheadedsweetheart, NCM2030, xDarlingNikki, ElleEnien, Randy4rkocenahardy, rkocya and adb226. You guys rock! \m/ (^.^) \m/ Here's chapter 14. Enjoy!**

A Few Months Later: Late March

I sat in the front row, ringside, nervously twisting my engagement ring. I wanted to be here to support Cody but at the same time, I really didn't want to see the outcome of this match. But Cody had begged me to watch ringside. And since it was his first match at Wrestlemania, how could I say no?

This match had been a little while in the making. There had been some fighting in Legacy and now they were facing each other. The match tonight was the official death of The Legacy. To break them up even further, when the draft came back around in the middle of April, they were moving Cody over to Smackdown. We had the meeting a few weeks ago. They wanted to establish Cody as his own person, not just as Randy's flunky that did everything he said. They were going to play around with a few character plots and see what fit for him.

Oh yeah, the 'we' part. So...I got my job back. I don't know what made Stephanie change her mind but who was I to argue. I got to be with Cody everyday, like before, but this time, we didn't have to hide anything. And in coming back, I was strictly Cody's PA. Poor Teddy was on his own.

I started to twist my ring again as the montage for the happenings in and around Wrestlemania came to an end. I kept twisting till two hands clamped over mine. From my left side, Rebecca DiBiase, my best friend and from the right, Michelle Runnels, my future mother-in-law.

"You're starting to stress _ME_ out." Rebecca said.

"I know. I'm sorry. All I know is that they're gonna 'hurt' him in this match. I don't know if I can watch it." I looked at her. "Ted's gonna walk away fine. You have nothing to stress about." Michelle squeezed my hand, making me look at her.

"Cody's going to be fine. I promise. Do you know how many times I've seen Dusty take shots to the head and get up? My son's head is just as hard, if not harder." She smiled at me. I just nodded.

The three of us stood up as the ring announcer started his speech for the triple threat match. Rebecca squeezed my hand as Legacy's music started and Ted's titan video played on the various screens. We could just make him out as he started down the ramp. I could see how proud and in love Rebecca was in the way she watched him. It was so wonderful to see. My look was drawn back to the top of the ramp as Ted's music ended. Then Cody's old music started. It was the music he had before he joined with Legacy.

I smiled as I saw him walk out into view. I could spot those orange trunks and white boots from a mile away. The boots I liked. They were fine. It was the trunks I was apprehensive about. When he first showed me the material that they were going to be made out of, I questioned his sanity. Then he tried them on. I still wasn't extremely fond of the color but the fit was better than a dream. I knew people wouldn't be able to tell in the ring but that material molded to every bit of Cody's anatomy and made his butt look delicious. He told me that I had the final say on the trunks. So for those that did look at my Cody, you're welcome.

I watched him saunter down the ramp like he owned the place. I saw him stop and smirk at some fans that were booing him. I couldn't help but smile. When he got to the ring, his music cut out. Everyone started to cheer as Randy's music started to play. They were all looking up the ramp but I was watching Cody. He climbed in the ring and walked over to Ted.

He turned to where we were sitting under the pretense that he was talking to Ted. I smiled at him as our eyes met. He gave me his Legacy grin to stay in character and a quick wink as he turned back. When he did, his left hand came into view. His ring finger was taped up like he was wearing a ring. He flexed his hand, making sure I saw it. It was his private little tribute to me. Because by this time next week, he would have a real ring on that finger and we would be husband and wife.

I was so busy watching Cody that I didn't notice that Rebecca and Michelle had taken their seats. Rebecca tugged on my shirt to get my attention.

"You gonna sit down or are you gonna stare at your boy for the whole match?" She asked, laughing at me softly.

"Well, if those are my options..." She laughed again. I sat down as the bell rang to start the match. The Match went back and forth, most of the time Cody and Ted having the upper hand since they were double teaming Randy. It stayed that way for a bit till Ted tried to pick up a pin while Cody was positioning himself for a move. Then it became the triple threat it was supposed to be.

At one point both Ted and Randy were outside the ring right in front of us. Everyone in the first couple of rows stood up as Cody vaulted himself over the top rope aiming for the two for them. But just as Cody was about to hit them, Randy ducked out of the way, leaving Ted to take the full brunt of Cody's weight. They hit the floor and rolled up against the barrier, right where we were standing.

I looked down at them as they lay there for a second, letting Randy get all the praise in the ring. Cody opened his eyes, instantly finding mine watching him. I gave what I knew had to be a worried smiled to him. He gave me a slight nod, trying to reassure me while trying so hard not to break character as they started to struggle to their feet. He stood up right in front of me, hunching over at his shoulders like we was trying to get himself back together. The smile faded from my face as I heard the nasty things the crowd behind me was yelling at him. I forgot all about them the second his hand closed over mine where it was laying on top of the barrier. He squeezed it softly and them threw himself back into the match.

Then the moment I had been dreading came. Randy had taken both Cody and Ted down. I knew exactly what was coming. Ted had rolled out of the ring and Cody, in the center of the ring, was taking a long time getting up to his hands and knees. Randy, who had been bouncing in his 'Viper' position stopped and stood up. He looked out at the crowd. They cheered, knowing what he was about to do.

Randy backed into the corner and waited until Cody was up enough. Just as Cody hung his head, trying to catch his breath, Randy ran at him and punted him in the side of his head. Cody flipped over on to his back and stayed there. Oh God. I was sure that Randy really hurt him this time. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ted climb in the ring and instantly get the RKO and Randy pinning him for the win.

As Randy's music played, my eyes stayed glued to Cody's motionless body. The ref went over to talk to him. He still didn't move. I was on the verge of tears. When the paramedics came and started to load him on the backboard, I lost it.

I shoved my way past the people in the seats and the security at the end of our row. I made it to the edge of the seating area where I could see a couple of stagehands I knew moving around. I went to call out to one of them but was stopped by security.

"I need you to go back to your seat miss. You can't be back here." I shook my head and pulled out my pass.

"You don't understand. I work for the company. I need to get back there." He pushed me back some more.

"I'm sorry miss..." I cut him off and yelled to one of the stage hands. He came trotting over.

"Hey Emery. What's wrong?"

"Please tell him who I am so I can get back there. I need to be there when they bring Cody back." I pleaded.

"Man, didn't you see her pass. She works here. Let her through."

"I'm sorry. I'm under strict orders. I'm not supposed to let anyone through here." Before he finished his sentence, Russ, the stagehand, leaned over the railing and helped me climb over.

"Where are they bringing him in?" I asked as we ran through the backstage area. He lead me to right inside the gorilla just as they were wheeling Cody through. I ran over to him just as the paramedics stopped the stretcher. Cody was unconscious. Before I could yell at someone to hurry and get him to the ambulance, one of the guys spoke up.

"Okay, we're clear, Cody." His eyes popped open.

"Good. Get me out of this." I stood there in shock. More at myself than anything. I had bought it. Cody sold it so well, I was sure he was hurt. Finally, he sat up and stood up beside the stretcher. As soon as he free of it, the guys rolled it away. Cody smiled softly at me and held open his arms. I instantly stepped into them, reassuring myself he was really okay. I could have cared less how sweaty he was.

"I'm okay, princess. I really am." He said softly as he headed us back to the locker room. Everyone passed congratulated Cody on the match.

"I could slap you right now." He looked down at me as we got to the door.

"For what?"

"For selling that so damn well. I was so sure you were hurt. I was going to kill Randy. Let me see your face." He leaned down enough so that I could clearly see the left side of his face. There wasn't a mark on him. "He's lucky." Cody smiled.

"So am I." He said, making me smile back at him.

"Are you?" I asked. He nodded and wrapped an arm around my waist. "I'd say I was the lucky one." He leaned in an kissed me softly.

"What if," kiss, "we blow off the party tonight," kiss, "and spend the rest of the night," one more kiss, "being lucky together?"

"What if you go shower and we'll leave right now?" He grinned and leaned into me so that I would lean back against the door. Just as my shoulders pressed flat against the wood, the door flew open. Cody had to grab both of my upper arms to keep me from toppling into the doorway and taking out Fallon.

"What the hell, Fal?" I turned to face her.

"Thank God it's you two. Here," she shoved her phone at me, "talk to Mom. She thinks Cody is really hurt. She's about to have a coronary. She doesn't know what's going to happen to all the flowers you ordered or where she's going to keep all those candles till he gets better." Fallon was irritated by Mom's incessant calling but at least they were talking again on a regular basis. Cody leaned in and kissed my cheek as I took the phone from Fallon who sighed in relief and headed off to meet Randy.

"Good luck, princess." He said softly and headed past me towards the showers.

"Thanks." I took a deep breath and lifted the phone to my ear. "Hi Momma." Caroline Harper instantly went into her questions about Cody as we walked into the locker room and I shut the door behind me. Was he okay? Why would Randy do that? Were we on the way to the hospital?

_"__How __are __you __so __calm, __Emery?__"_

"Because Cody's fine, Momma. Randy didn't even touch him. It was all for show." She was quiet for a moment.

_"__Are __you __sure? __It __looked __so __real.__" _

"Yes, I'm sure. I checked. There's not a spot on him. He's perfectly fine."

_"__I __find __that __hard __to __believe, __Emery.__"_

"I promise, he's fine."

_"__He __was __laying __there __so __still...__"_ I looked over as Cody walked out of the showers. What perfect timing.

"I know Momma. He's good at his job. Would you like to talk to him? Would that make you feel better?"

_"__Okay. __But __only __if __he__'__s __up __to __it.__"_ I walked over to him.

"Here." I handed him the phone. "Please talk to her so she knows that you're okay. She's worried about you." He smiled at me and took the phone.

"Hello Mrs. Harper." I wrapped my arms around him and pressed soft kisses to his bare, still slightly damp chest as he answered her questions. I let my hands drift to the small of his back just above the towel that was resting low on his hips. "I swear, I'm fine. I moved with his foot instead of because of it. It didn't even touch me." I glided my hands around to his stomach as I stood on my toes to kiss at the side of his neck. "I will. Yes ma'am." I started to pull at the tucked in part of the towel. "Uh...sorry to cut you off Mrs. Harper but they're calling me for a post match interview. I have to go." He barely waited for her to answer before he hung up the phone. He tossed it into the open top of his bag. He cupped my face in both of his hands and kissed me, walking me backwards until I was pressed up against the wall.

"You just lied to my mother." I said. I arched my body into his as his hands worked their way down to my hips. Cody nipped his way down the side of my neck.

"Yeah. Sorry about that."

"I liked it. So sexy." He lifted his head to look at me.

"Sexy? Hanging upon your mom is sexy?"

"Everything about you is sexy, sugar. Especially you in a towel. I think everyone should see how yummy you look in a towel."

"Really?" I nodded, bitting my lip, trying to suppress the moan trying to escape as Cody pressed his hips tight against mine. "I'll keep that in mind for the future." I did moan against his lips as he kissed me again.

"I don't want to wait till the hotel, Cody." He lifted me up, my legs wrapping around his waist and pressed me back against the wall.

"I don't either, princess." I tugged at the towel again. This time, it hit the floor. Before he could get my shirt over my head, we heard voices at the door. Randy, Fallon, Ted, Rebecca, Michelle and Dusty all walked through just as Cody got the towel back around his waist. He gathered his clothes with his back towards them as I pulled down my shirt. Cody stood up and leaned into kiss me quickly. "Saved by the family, princess." He whispered against my cheek. He turned and quickly walked back towards the showers.

I slowly turned to look at everyone standing there smiling at me. I felt my cheeks flare up. I knew they were bright cherry red. Dusty walked over and put his arm around my shoulders.

"Don't worry darlin'. It's happened to all of us." Everyone nodded, agreeing. "Just next time," he kissed my temple, "remember to lock the door."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I leaned in close to the full length mirror to obsessively check my hair again for the millionth time. It looked just like it did the last time I stared at it.

I stepped back and smoothed out the invisible wrinkles in my creamy white gown. The thin straps blended into a sweetheart neckline that came to a rounded point, drawing attention but not too much to that feature. I didn't need all my cleavage showing.

The bodice of the gown was fitted down to the top of my hips where it flared out slightly to a beautiful fall of the same colored silk, stopping in the front to brush the tops of my shoes. It went just a bit longer in the back to give me a slight train.

I smiled as I ran my fingertips over the gorgeous strand of pearls laying against my collarbone that my mother had given me just moments before. It turned out that they were the same pearls my grandmother and my mother had both worn when they got married. That took care of my something old and something blue. The place where they hooked in the back had a blue silk ribbon that you tied over it to hide the hook. It was hidden under my hair.

The something borrowed were Fallon's platinum diamond crusted hoops that Randy had given her a few Christmases ago. The new? The new was the beautiful sterling silver bracelet that Cody sent me early this morning. Off one of the links was a sterling silver star that had a 'C' and 'E' on either side of a big 'R' engraved on it. Our initials combined into one monogram.

The only color on my dress was the bright red sash the laid around my hips. The red matched Fallon and Rebecca's bridesmaid's dresses and the ties that Dustin, Ted and my Cody would be wearing.

If I hadn't been staring at my dress in the mirror, I probably wouldn't have jumped at the knock on the door. I laughed at myself and called out to the person to come in. I looked over my shoulder as Dad walked in.

"Hi." I smiled at him. "Is it time?" I glanced out the window. It was dark outside but I could see the soft glow coming from the backyard. I turned all the way around when Dad didn't answer me. "Daddy?" He had a sad smile on his face. "Daddy, are you okay? What's wrong?" He nodded that he was okay.

"You look so...beautiful. And grown." He held open his arms. I didn't hesitate to take those few steps into his arms. He hugged me tightly. "I'm not handling this as well as I thought I would. My little kitten is all grown up." I pulled back so that I could look in his face.

"I'm always gonna be you kitten, Daddy." He cupped my cheek and kissed my forehead.

"Even when you and Cody have little kittens of your own?"

"Even if we could, I'd still be your kitten." He stroked my cheek with his thumb and smiled at me like he knew some big secret as I smiled back at him. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Emery." I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek as someone knocked on the door and told us it was time. I straightened the red rose bud on his lapel.

"You ready Daddy?" He took a deep breath.

"As ready as I'll ever be." He offered me his arm. I picked up my bouquet of red and white rosebuds and took it.

Dad lead me out of my room, down the stairs and through the house to the french doors leading to my parents' enormous backyard. The doors were already open and I could see our families and close friends sitting there, looking at us. I looked down the aisle of white rose petals, lined on either side with candle lit lanterns all the way down, to the alter where Fallon and Rebecca were standing to the left in their beautiful red dresses and white bud bouquets and Dustin and Ted in their suit to the right. And in the center, stood Cody. He looked amazing in his suit. He had been looking at his hands, wringing them slightly until he heard everyone turn around. Dustin laid a hand on his shoulder and Cody looked up.

The two of us locked eyes as Dad lead me towards him. I nearly started to cry from the look of pure love in his eyes. Neither of us looked away even when Dad placed my hand in Cody's.

Cody hit me with that grin I loved so much and whispered to me. "You look so incredibly beautiful, princess." I grinned back at him.

"You look quiet dashing yourself, sugar." The minister started the ceremony as Cody and I stood under the old oak tree. The entire 15 foot trunk was wrapped in star shaped and regular twinkle lights. The tree gave off enough light so that we could see each other's face as we said our vows and exchanged our rings.

"What God has brought together her, may no man tear asunder. You are now husband and wife. Cody, you may kiss your lovely bride." We both smiled as he cupped my face and kissed me. Our small crowd erupt with applause and cheers.

"I love you so much, Emmy." Cody said softly against my lips. I wrapped my hands around his wrists where his hands were still cupping my face.

"I love you too, Code. Always." He pressed his lips to mine again.

"Always."

Cody and I linked our fingers together as we stood outside the candle lit tent waiting for the DJ to announce us. He lifted our joined hands, kissing the back of mine.

"Ready princess?" The DJ started his speech. I smiled and nodded as we heard our cue.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Runnels." I couldn't stop the huge smile that covered my face as Cody and I walked into the tent hand and hand.

We made our way across the dance floor to the cheers and applause of our friends and family. For the next hour, we stood at our table and greeted everyone.

I was watching Cody talk to Randy and John Cena when I felt the tap on my shoulder. I turned to find Mike standing there. I didn't say a word. I just smiled and opened my arms. He returned my smile and hugged me tightly. Yes, we fixed our friendship. That was the first thing I did after Cody and I made up. I missed my friend and wanted him back. I also made sure that Cody and Mike were okay as well.

"You look so beautiful tonight, Em. Rhodes is a very lucky man." I kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, Mike." I glanced over my shoulder at Cody. "But we both know I'm the lucky one." Mike laughed softly and did his own glancing back to his table where Maryrse was sitting waiting for him.

"I know what you mean."

Some time later, after dinner, Cody and I were called out to the dance floor for our first dance as husband and wife. He smiled down at me the beginning strands of Tracy Byrd's 'The Keeper of the Stars' started to play. Cody held me close as we glided across the floor, blocking out everyone else in the room.

I looked up into Cody's love filled face and softly sang the most poignant to me, part of the song to him.

_'__Soft __moon light __on __your __face_

_ Oh how you shine_

_ It takes my breath away_

_ Just to look into your eyes_

_ I know I don't deserve_

_ A treasure like you_

_ There really are no words_

_ To show my gratitude'_

I laughed as Cody spun me out from his body and brought me back, singing the chorus to me this time.

_'__So __I __tip __my __hat_

_ To the keeper of the stars_

_ He sure knew what he was doin'_

_ When he joined these two hearts_

_ I hold everything_

_ When I hold you in my arms_

_ I've got all I'll ever need_

_ Thanks to the keeper of the stars'_

Cody kissed me deeply as the song ended. "Are you happy, princess?" I kissed him back, running my fingers through his hair.

"I am." I kissed him again. "This is only the beginning of our happiness, Cody." He grinned.

"I know, Emmy. It's only gonna get better from here."

**I would really appreciate if you keep the reviews coming. Please take a couple of seconds and let me know how I'm doing. So, I must break the bad news to you guy, there is only one more chapter. So get all your reviews in. I'll post the next chapter right after Smackdown. It will be my holiday gift to you guys. Thanks! =^.^=**


	15. Chapter 15

**You guys are so amazing! I heart you all so much! I want to give a big shout out to everyone that has read the story so far. I want to send a special 'Thank You' to angelshavetheirwickedschemes, KimmieCena, lookitsria, xMyHeartShine, AngelsDestiny22, Xandman216, NCM2030, (my lovely) psion53, xDarlingNikki, Randy4rkocenahardy, Freakin' Yoda and ElleEnein. You guys rock! \m/ (^.^) \m/ I want you to know I took a little liberty with the timeline here and extended it out to fit Cody and Emery's personal timeline. (And when I finished the story originally, Cody was still wearing his mask.) Here's the final one, chapter 15. Enjoy!**

I opened my eyes to the semi-dark room. I didn't make a sound as I saw Cody sitting on the edge of the bed. The moonlight coming in through the window let me take in his profile and see a little of his disheveled and slightly wrinkled clothes. I smiled to myself thinking of how his character would hate how he looked right now.

Right after we had gone back on the road after our nearly month long honeymoon, the two of us were laying in bed in our hotel room. Cody tucked himself up against my back, wrapping an arm around me and pulled me close. He let his hand drift down to hip and then down to the side of my thigh. He stroked his fingertips back and forth on my thigh, luring me to sleep. I was almost there when he spoke to me.

"Do you remember what you said to me at our wedding?" I rolled to my back so that I could look up at him where he had his hand propped up in his right hand. His left hand ended up on my stomach at the edge of my tank top. I could feel the cool band of his wedding ring against my skin. It was still cool because he had just put it back on after his shower. I smiled up at him, running the back of my fingers across his bare chest.

"I said a lot of things to you that day, Cody. You're gonna have to be more specific. Exactly when did I say it?" He grinned down at me.

"Right after you walked down the aisle and I told you how incredibly beautiful you looked?" I laid my hand flat against his chest.

"I told you that you looked dashing. I always think you look quiet dashing in a nice suit."

"Thank you, Em." He leaned in and kissed me. "I'm gonna use that. That's going to be my new storyline." I sat up excited and faced him.

"You guys finally decided on something?" He nodded.

"In a couple of weeks, after NXT starts, I'm giving a big promo and that will start the new line."

"That's so great sugar." I ran my fingers into his hair as I kissed him. "I can't wait."

Three weeks later, at a Smackdown taping, Cody and his NXT rookie, Windam Rotunda, better known as Husky Harris headed down to the ring. Cody cut his promo about how all the Divas voted him the best looking Superstar and how he deserved it. From that night on he became the vain, self-centered 'Dashing' Cody Rhodes.

One day, he got spotted by one of the writers going over his lines for his promo in the mirror while brushing his hair after a shower. It gave him an idea for the push. It spiraled from Cody interviewing/talking to himself in the mirror to him obsessively wearing a mirror on his jacket and having the mirror as part of his titan entrance to the infamous 'Grooming Tips'. I loved those because I got to see my wish come to life, Cody wearing a towel on camera. Sadly, he had his trunks on under the towel but it still looked good to me. I knew what was normally under the towel after a shower and I have a really good photographic memory.

Cody was just coming off his fourth run as a tag team champion. This time it was with Drew Galloway, or Drew McIntyre. I was actually happy that he lost them two weeks ago. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been here with me right now.

It was nearly two years to the day from the last time we were here in Atlanta University Hospital. This time, we were very happy to be here.

Almost eight months ago, we found out that everything I had thought I heard from Dr. Fisher, I heard wrong. It wouldn't be impossible, just harder. Since we had thought it was impossible, Cody and I hadn't been taking any precautions. And because of that we were here, the third floor of the hospital.

The maternity ward.

A few silent, happy tears rolled down my cheeks as I looked at the pure love and totally awe on his face as he looked down at Corrine Grace Runnels, our newborn daughter, sleeping in his arms.

Both our families and friends had already been to see us and she had been passed from person to person like she was a football. But Cody couldn't seem to not be holding her. It was almost like he was afraid she would disappear if he let her go.

I gently moved to lie on my side. The movement of the bed made Cody look over at me.

"Hey, Em." He said softly. "How long have you been awake?" He looked back down at Corrine.

"Not too long. How long have you been holding her?" He rocked her gently.

"I don't know. I picked her up right after our parents left and you fell asleep." I looked up at the clock on the wall by the window.

"That was almost three hours ago." He looked up at the clock too and shrugged.

"I guess that's about right." He grinned at me. "I can't help it." I smiled back.

"Don't you think it's someone else's turn?" He looked at me confused.

"Who else is there?" I laughed softly.

"How about me? Can I hold her?" I had held her right after she had been born and then again when I had fed her. He stood up and smiled at me. He did lay her down long enough to help me sit up in bed and put a few pillows behind me. He gently laid her in my arms. "Here you go Mommy." I smiled down at my beautiful perfect little girl in my arms. I never thought we would see this day. I felt Cody settle into the bed beside me. He wrapped his arm around me so that he could hold us both.

"What's that smile for Emmy?" Cody asked softly. He stoked my shoulder with his fingertips.

"It hasn't even been 24 hours yet and I already love being her Mommy." I looked into Cody's face. "I want to be a good mom to her." He smiled at me, cupping my cheek, stroking it with his thumb.

"You will be Em. You'll be the best mom." I leaned into his hand.

"You're going to be an amazing Daddy." He dipped his head and kissed me.

"I hope so." He kissed me again just as Corrine started to whimper in my arms. "I think someone's hungry." He said with a smile. I nodded in agreement. I moved and adjusted my gown so that I could breastfeed her like I had been taught earlier. Cody stroked her tiny hand as she filled her little belly. I glanced at his face and saw the same look he had when he was holding her. Cody was a goner. It was only a few short hours since she had been born and she already had him wrapped around her tiny little finger.

"I've lost it haven't I?" Cody lifted his head to look at me.

"Lost what Em?" I smiled at him.

"My title. Someone else is your princess now." He smiled back.

"Never Emmy. You will always be my princess." He kissed me. "Corrine," he gently stroked her head, "Corrine is our angel."

Corri and I couldn't go right back on the road with Cody so me and her stayed home and video chatted with Daddy every night. I won't lie, it was hard. It was so hard not to have him with us every night. No matter how many times my mom and dad or Rebecca, who was trying to talk Ted into having a baby of their own, came and stayed with us, it was nothing like having Cody at home with us.

Two days after Corri turned six months old, we joined Cody back on the road. God, I had missed this. Mostly I had missed waking up to Cody every morning and falling asleep in his arms.

We had been worried now Corri would do with all the traveling. Airports and airplanes and different hotel rooms every night, never staying in one place more than a day or two but she was amazing. She took to the traveling like a champ. She loved the airplanes and riding in the car. She also ate up the attention that she got from everyone. The attention was from the fact she was probably the most adorable little girl in the entire world. No, I'm not biased at all.

Cody's career was progressing beautifully. He got in all the right matches, teamed with who he needed to and feuded with the best. He was on his path, on his way to the top.

My career, the dream I had, had about writing for the company one day, stalled and fizzled out. To be honest, I really didn't think about it at all. I was so happy being a wife and a mommy that I didn't really need it anymore. All I needed was my family. Cody didn't think it was fare and he stepped in and changed that.

We were at a RAW Supershow, where both shows were in attendance. Cody and I were sitting in catering with Randy and Fallon, who had finally gotten engaged a few weeks before, and Ted. Corrine was off with Uncle Dustin who she loved to death. It was like back in the day when our little group was back together. It was wonderful.

We were talking about a current storyline and I threw in my two cents as to what I would like to see happen as a fan. I got agreement on how cool that would be when Cody excused himself and disappeared. We figured he had gone in search of Corri. He was gone for about 20 minutes when he came back and dragged me from the table and straight to Stephanie's office.

"Tell her your idea, Emery." He told me, making me sit in the chair in front of her desk. Cody stood behind me with his hand on my shoulder, encouraging me. Stephanie loved my idea.

"Do you think you could write that out for me?" I was stunned.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"I know it'll be a little harder with a one and an half year old running around. Take two weeks. Email me what you have and we'll go from there."

"Oh...uh...okay." She smiled.

"Great! I can't wait to read it." That was just the beginning. That was the first scene I wrote and far from the last.

About a week after Corri's second birthday, Cody got hit in the face and broke his nose at a house show. It wasn't too bad, according to him. They set it in the back and he promised me that he was fine. Yeah, I couldn't help but cry when we woke up the next morning and both of his eyes were black.

The doctor told him it was probably best if he didn't wrestle for a month or so until it healed completely. Of course, he wouldn't hear that. Lucky for me, WWE management agreed with the doctor. So since Cody was in a line with Rey Mysterio that supposed to lead into Wrestlemania, it was written into a small match that he would get hit in the face by Rey's exposed knee brace and they would make it seem that Rey broke his nose and continue the feud.

Cody talked to the doctor after that match to see if there was any way that he could get back any faster. The only way he would sign off was if Cody wore a protective mask while he was in the ring. Management was okay with that if Cody was willing to do it. He agreed. Anything so he could do what he loved. He was given the name of a doctor who specialized in protective equipment for athletes. The mask would be molded to his face so that it would fit perfect and not slide around during his matches.

As I was packing up to head back to the hotel that night when Rob, one of the staff writers, poked his head in the door and told me and Cody that we may want to look into changing up his character. 'Dashing' Cody Rhodes would never wear a mask to the ring.

He was quiet the whole drive back to the hotel. He didn't say much as I changed and he got Corri changed and into bed. When she fell back asleep, he pulled off his shirt and lay down beside me. He didn't get under the covers, just laid down. I curled up against his side. I kissed his neck softly before snuggling my face against it. I laid my hand flat on his chest, staying quiet and leaving him to his thoughts. His warm hand instantly covered mine.

"How am I gonna pull this off Em?" Cody asked quietly. He absently started drawing circles on the back of my hand with his forefinger. "Rob is right. Dashing would never hide his good looks behind a mask. Even if it is clear." I leaned up on my elbow as it hit me.

"That's it, Cody! You're not 'Dashing' anymore." He looked confused.

"I'm not?" I smiled, excited about my idea.

"Nope. Rey destroyed your looks when he broke your nose. He took all that away. Now, you have to hide behind a mask like he does." He leaned up on his elbow like I was. He nodded his head.

"Okay, okay, I see where you're going with this. What else?" I smiled as he got into it.

"You blame him personally. You think you're hideous to look at because of..." I thought for a second.

"Because of the reconstructive surgery I had to have to fix my face." Cody added. I laughed at him.

"I was going to say because of your deformity but I like your idea better." We stayed up half the night talking out how bitter and angry he was going to become. I wanted him to turn dark and hide from the camera and guess who got their wish? Guess who also got volunteered to help write all his promos/rants?

It worked out perfectly and led us right into Wrestlemania where Cody and Rey had a singles match. It was nice because this time we were home in Atlanta. Again, I was sitting ringside with Michelle and a seven month pregnant Rebecca. But this time we were joined by Corrine. She didn't want to miss Daddy's match. Normally, I knew the outcome of all Cody's matches but somehow he kept it away from me this time. I was going to have to watch it with everyone else.

I bounced Corri in my lap as we waited for the match to start. She played with her dog, completely unaware that we were sitting in this huge arena, surrounded by all these people. I, myself, was nervous as hell. Finally Cody's music started to play. Corri looked up.

"Daddy now, Mommy?" She asked. I nodded.

"Yes Angel. Here comes Daddy." I stood up, holding her in my arms. She leaned over and handed Rebecca her dog.

"Hold Doggy?" Rebecca smiled at her and took Doggy.

"Of course sweetheart." She held the stuffed animal just on top of her extended belly. "I'll take good care him." Corri just smiled at her. I adjusted her on my hip and turned so that she could see him coming. He was rocking his new black and dark red ring gear. I was absolutely in love with his new leather jacket with the over-sized hood that nearly hid his entire face.

"Look Corri." I pointed to the end of the ramp as Cody came into view. "Who's that?" She bounced in my arms and clapped, again completely oblivious of all the people around us booing him.

"It's Daddy! Mommy, it's Daddy!" She was so excited. Corrine was a Daddy's Girl through and through.

"I see him Angel." She turned to Michelle, patting her arm.

"Gammy, it's Daddy." She pointed towards the ring. Michelle just smiled.

"I know darlin'." When Cody climbed in the ring and headed towards our side, the four of us, at Corrine's insistence, cheered loudly for him. He quickly glanced at us as if he heard us. When his music cut out and Rey's music started, he began pacing around the ring. He stopped in front of us a couple of times so that he could catch a glimpse of Corri still clapping for him.

It took her a few minutes to settle down after the match started. She wanted to stand up and watch but she was a few inches too short to reach the top of the barrier in full stretch much less see over. So then she wanted me to stand up and hold her but I had to tell her that the people behind us wouldn't be able to see, so she settled for sitting on her knees in my lap and leaned against the barrier.

The match went back and forth nicely. At one point, I was surprised by the 'Let's Go Cody' chant that started. I figured it was probably because we were in Atlanta. Or it could be because he was doing an amazing job in that ring.

There were plenty of near falls, hits, misses, fantastic moves and two counts to keep me on the edge of my seat. But when Rey finally worked off Cody's mask and started use it against him, I was sure he was done. I had forgotten that Cody had taken off Rey's knee brace.

When he was knocked out of the ring and out of no where hit Rey with the knee brace, I gathered Corri close to me. My smile was huge. Cody rolled back into the ring and got the 1-2-3. I shot to my feet.

"Daddy won Corri!" She smiled.

"Clap now for Daddy?" I nodded.

"Yes Angel. Clap for Daddy." I was nearly brought to tears at the display of emotions and the look on Cody's face. As soon as the ref held up his hand, the four of us headed to the back. Even with 'Blimp DiBiase', as Rebecca called herself we made our way to just inside the gorilla. He was being congratulated by Mr. McMahon when we finally got there. A few people were standing around waiting to give Cody his due for the great match. Corrine and I stood in the back out of the way, letting Cody have his well deserved praise. He was kissing Rebecca's cheek when he saw us. Again, Corri bounced in my arms at seeing Cody. He smiled and made his way over to us.

"Daddy!" Corri held her arms out so he would take her. Cody finished wiping as much sweat as he could from his upper body, before tossing the towel and his mask into a nearby chair. He lifted her into his arms, making her giggle as he kissed her cheek. She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him.

"You looked amazing out there sugar." I told him. He grinned. He cupped a hand around the back of my neck, pulling me close, kissing me.

"Thanks Emmy."

Dusty and Michelle took Corrine home for the night so that Cody and I could go to the after party. We weren't going to stay long. We planned on heading back home so we could sleep in our own bed. The two of us got caught up in the party. I was happy I actually got to dance with Cody almost the entire night. When we finally made it home, Cody and I had a party of our own.

We found out the consequences of our personal little party when I found out about a month and a half later that I was pregnant. We couldn't have been more thrilled.

About that time, when they had the draft after Wrestlemania, they moved Randy, Fallon and Ted over to Smackdown with us. Our little family was back together again.

When I was about 5 months along, not only did we find out that we were having a baby boy, but that Cody was in line for the Intercontinental Championship. Three weeks later, he won the title from Ezekiel Jackson. He held and defended the title proudly. He fought everyone and his brother, well not his _actual_ brother, for the title. He even had a short lived feud with Ted which fed into an amazing feud with Randy.

Cody eventually lost the title near the end of the year. I wish I could have been there for him but the last three months of my pregnancy were rough and I was at home on mandatory bed rest. I don't know what I would have done if Rebecca and baby Ben, who's full name was Benjamin Theodore DiBiase, hadn't come to stay with me. She took care of Ben, Corri and me. She was totally my hero. Of course, Fallon wanted to stay with me but there was no way Mr. McMahon would let her off for that long.

Cody wasn't too upset about losing the title because a week or so later, our baby girl turned three and a couple of weeks before the Royal Rumble, our son Decker Emerson Runnels was born.

Sadly, there were some serious complications with me during Decker's birth and after another emergency surgery, I truly couldn't have any more children. Surprisingly, I wasn't as upset as I thought I would be. Decker was a happy, health baby. I also had an amazing three year old and a wonderful marriage. As far as Cody and I were concerned, our family was perfect and complete.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I pulled up behind the arena, parking our rental in the parking lot with most of the other Superstar's rentals. We would have come with Cody but Deck and Corri were both napping. And God knows if you could get the two of them to nap at the same time you didn't dare wake them.

Before I could turn off the car, Corri was out of her seat, had her little backpack on and Doggy in her arms. She was ready to go. I quickly turned off the ignition and tossed the keys in my purse.

"Corri, stay there until I come around there to get you okay?"

"Kay Mommy." She had her face pressed against the window, watching the people coming and going around the back of the building, trying to catch a glimpse of the person she adored most in this world, her Daddy.

I hurried out of the car, grabbing my purse and the kids' bag before unbuckling Decker from his seat. I saved over-excited Corrine for last, knowing she was going to run at the first chance.

"Hold my hand until we get inside, then I'll let you walk on your own, alright? No running." I said to her, taking a firm grip on her little hand. She looked up at me with Cody's eyes.

"I will Mommy."

She did really good until we got inside. We turned down the first hall and Corri paused for about a millisecond before she took off running. I covered Decker's exposed ear, the other was pressed against my shoulder where he was still trying to hold on to sleep, before I yelled after her.

"Corri wait!" She didn't. "Corrine!" She didn't even slow down. I took off after her. "Corrine Grace Runnels! I said stop!" Of course, she kept running. I finally glanced to the end of the hall to see what she was running towards. There, stand with Randy and Fallon, who had just come back from their honeymoon, Ted, who was holding Ben, and Rebecca was Cody. He was already in his ring gear, which had gone from the red and black to sliver and black, with t-shirt he had left the hotel in and his infamous mask dangling from his hand as he talked to them.

Before I could stop her, she called out his name an instant before she ran full force into him, wrapping herself around his leg. He leaned down and scooped her up in his arms.

"Hey there Angel Pie. Where did you come from? Where's Mommy?" I finally caught up to her.

"I'm right here. What did I say, Corrine? Didn't I tell you no running away from me?" She ducked her head, knowing she was in trouble.

"Sorry Mommy." She snaked her arms around Cody's neck and pressed her face there, thinking he would protect her. I just huffed knowing full well I couldn't yell at her when she peeked at me from under his chin. Cody grinned at me.

"Sorry princess." He said softly, leaning in to kiss me.

"It's okay." I said, kissing him again. He rubbed the back of Decker's head where it still lay on my shoulder. The little monkey had slept through me yelling at Corrine and chasing after her. My eight month old could sleep through nearly anything.

We made small talk for a little while. We heard all about Randy and Fallon's honeymoon and then about Ben's latest little adventure. We eventually parted ways with Cody leading us to a small private locker room. It was nice. Corri could run around how she wanted and Deck, who finally woke up, could crawl around behind his big sister. Cody and I curled up in the love seat together just watching our children play. And waiting.

Cody was in the main event against Jay Reso or as most people know him, Christian. Cody and Jay had been on the same team for a while until their characters turned on each other and now they were enemies again. Christian had also been talking shit to Stephen Farrelly, or Sheamus. So more than likely, Cody was going to get caught in the crossfire of their crap tonight.

I laid my head on Cody's shoulder, he stroked my upper arm as we watched Corri try and explain coloring to Deck who just sat there, chewing on his fingers and smiling at her. Cody turned his head slightly and kissed my temple.

"I want you guys to come out there tonight." He said quietly to me. I leaned back so that I could look at him.

"For a Smackdown taping? We normally only go out for pay-per-view events. Plus, what am I gonna do with Decker?"

"I know princess but I really want all three of you out there. I want to be able to see you." I shrugged.

"Okay sugar. If that's what you want." Something was weird with him tonight. There was something he wasn't telling me.

About twenty minutes before the match, Cody had one of the security guys escort us to our seats. Lucky for me, Corrine had her own seat this time. The seats weren't perfect ringside like normal, they were front row but more off to the side. They were on the end of the section of seats by the ramp. Corri, like normal, bounced in her seat with excitement. Decker just kept chewing on his fingers, looking around at everything. Corri's bouncing attracted the attention of the lady sitting next to her decked out in Randy's shirt.

"Hey there. Aren't you a cutie?" Corri just smiled.

"Thank you."

"And so polite too. You excited for the end of the show?" She nodded up at her. "Who's your favorite wrestler?" Corri's smile got huge.

"My Daddy." The woman looked confused.

"Your dad?"

"Corrine, baby that's enough. Leave the nice lady alone." I tried to divert her attention. So didn't work. Corri pointed to the front of the program she was holding in her lap.

"My Daddy." The lady smirked.

"Cody Rhodes? Cody Rhodes is your 'daddy'?" She shook her head, shooting me a nasty look over her head. "Sure. Whatever you say kid." Corri looked upset that the lady didn't believe her. I stroked her hair softly.

"It's okay baby. You'll see Daddy soon." She leaned into me and let me rub her back as we waited. Most if not all the fans didn't know that Cody was married much less married with two small children. God knows I wasn't about to tell them. If Cody wanted the world to know our personal life, we put it out there like others did. In interviews he always just said 'his family'.

I couldn't for the life of me figure out why Cody wanted us out there on this specific night. The only thing that wasn't what I expected was that it was turned into a match for the title. But I knew Sheamus was due to run in and screw the whole match up.

And yes, right on cue, he ran in and Brogue Kicked Christian in the face. The ref had his back turned. He didn't see a thing. Christian stumbled to his feet. Tears sprang to my eyes as I figured out what was about to happen. Cody took advantage and set up his finisher, the CrossRhodes. I stood up, pulling Corri up to stand in her chair so that she could see. The tears started to roll down my cheeks as the ref hit the mat for the three. Cody had done it.

Cody Rhodes was the new World Heavyweight Champion.

He sat back on his knees, dropped his head and closed his eyes, trying to control the emotions that were rolling through him. He stayed there until the ref handed his the title. He looked down at it for a second before a huge smile crossed his face. He stood up as Jay discreetly rolled out of the ring letting Cody have his moment. He lifted the title high in the air as the ref lifted his hand. The show ended with a shot of Cody holding up the title. I don't know what the crowd's reaction was because every bit of my focus was on his. He posed on every ring post, saving the one in front of us for last. He held up the title and smiled down at us.

He got down from the ring post and hooked the belt around his waist and started to take off his mask. He ripped it off as soon as he could and jumped out of the ring. He ignored every fan and came straight to us. The first thing he did was cup my cheek and kissed me.

"Oh my God, Cody. Why didn't you tell me?" He smiled before kissing me again.

"Surprise princess." He kissed Decker's forehead and turned to Corrine who was jumping in her seat.

"Kiss Daddy." She told him, holding her arms up for him. He lifted her and let her kiss him. He kissed her cheek before sitting her back down.

"I'll meet you guys in the locker room." He said before turning away.

"Bye Daddy." Corri called after him. Cody took a step back and affectionately smoothed down her hair.

"I'll see you in a little bit, okay Angel?"

"Okay Daddy." He turned and headed for the back. She turned to the stunned RKO fan who was sitting there with her mouth hanging open. Corrine patted her arm. "That was my Daddy." She told her. The lady just nodded like a fool.

I laid Decker down as soon as we made our way back to the empty locker room. My little monkey fell asleep on the walk back. Even Corri's eyes were drooping. It was kind of late for them. I got her to crawl up in the chair with Deck. She curled up around him protectively and was out like a light a minute or two later. I gathered our stuff and then took to pacing while I waited. I turned as the door opened.

"Waiting for me princess?" He tossed his ring jacket and mask on to our bags, revealing the shiny title around his waist. I walked right into his arms.

"There's my champ." I said smiling. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. Cody held me and kissed me like he did when we were still dating. The two of us were just as in love and crazy about each other as we were in the beginning of our relationship. It was hard to believe that we had been married nearly five years and had two beautiful children. I pulled back so that I could look at him.

"I'm so proud of you Cody. You looked like a true champion out there." I stroked the side of his face, kissing him softly. "Like our champion." He grinned at me.

"Your champion?" I nodded. "I like that princess." I ran my hand down his bare chest to rest on top of the title. "You know, no matter how many belts or titles I win, the only thing I'll ever truly need in this world is Corrine, Decker and you. You guys are my everything." I smiled.

"I love you Cody."

"I love you too. Always." I ran my fingers through his hair as I looked into the face of the man I'd love until the day I left this world.

"Always Cody?" He kissed me, holding me close.

"Always, Emery. Always."

**THE END!**

**I can't begin to tell you how amazing you guys have made me feel during the course of this story. If you wouldn't mind, give that last review and tell me how you like the ending. I want to thank you all again for taking the time to read my story. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday! Till next time.**

**Love Always! **

**=^.^=**


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